Beyond a Thief's Power
by SuzunoKoi
Summary: One day, Takuto has a dream of the past. He then wakes up and heads to Le Renard Noir, telling Hiro and Atsumu about his dream. He begins to yearn for his ex-girlfriend, Rina Tokuhara throughout the day, and she suddenly shows up that night when the members of the Black Foxes are about to start their mission. Will a lost love be rekindled between the two?
1. Episode 1

Surprises and Nostalgia

While Takuto Hirukawa spurred through his sleep, he began to dream. A very nostalgic dream.

_Sometime, somewhere, in the past_

_ "Ne. Takuto," a female voice said to him. She seemed to be smiling as she called his name. "We're going out, right? So that means, we're lovers. But… Even without hearing that from someone, you'd already know the fact that we are. You'd love me forever and always think about me. No matter what happens, or how far apart we are from each other, I'll always be in your heart, mind, and soul. The same goes for me; you'll be with me in my eyes and entire being every fraction of a second for all eternity. After all, our love will never end." Her fingers and the bottom of her palms came together in front of her chest as she kept smiling at Takuto. "I love you, Takuto. I'll always love you with everything I have."_

_ In the dream, Takuto stepped forward. "Yeah. I feel the same way. You're the only one for me, and I'll always protect you, Rina."_

_ When he held his arms out to embrace the girl, the dream became blank, and his present self woke up from the slumber and opened his eyes._

Back in his bedroom, Takuto lazily blinked. Sleep filled his eyes, despite the fact that they were opened. He knew he was awake, but his whole body felt lethargic as it usually did after some shut eye and daytime hours of work. Without any warning, his eyes lowered a small fraction.

"…Ngn…" He tiredly let out. "…What was I even dreaming about?" He sighed, still laying on his bed. "I don't even remember, but it felt very familiar for some reason. Just… what was it?" He slowly blinked, and looked at the analog clock sitting near his bed on a tabletop after turning to the other side. Then, his eyes widened when he saw the time. "Crap! It's already nine?! I better get going—and fast, too!"

Takuto quickly jumped out of bed, washed his face, brushed is teeth, and went out through his house's door. He made sure to lock the doors after closing them before hurrying to Le Renard Noir that morning. In a rapid sprint, he finally arrived and started to pant, placing his hands on his knees until he caught his breath, regaining his composure right in front of the bar owned by Atsumu Kashiwabara. Soon enough, he entered through the front door calmly. Once he was inside, he saw said owner and Hiro.

"Alright, I'll say this once and _only_ once, you got it?!" he began with his eyebrows furrowed toward the center of the top of his nose bridge. "Sorry for being late." Takuto's face had tints of pink on his cheeks as he tried his best to face the two looking at him. It became awkward for him to say anything else once he uttered those words of apology to them.

When they heard the dirty blond's word choice, they were puzzled.

"? Why are you apologizing, Takkun?" Hiro asked, still perplexed at Takuto. "It's not even noon yet, and you're here to say sorry to us for something? That's strange. We're not opened for business at this time."

Atsumu smiled and nodded. "I get it. It's about tonight's mission, right? If that's the case, I'll have to tell you that you're not late at all, Takkun. In fact, you're quite early." He beamed and let out a wholehearted laugh. "Ahaha! It's actually rare to see you come visit the bar at this hour. I bet you haven't eaten anything yet!" His expression relaxed itself and he opened his eyes. "Wait here. I'll get you something to start the day off." He walked into the kitchen and prepared a Japanese-style breakfast for the three of them to eat together.

Takuto was frozen in place with a confused look of his own. "Huh? I came here early? What was that about?"

"That's what I'd like to ask," Hiro smiled lightly. "Did something happen for you to get up and rush all the way over here? It's not often that you would come and say that you're sorry for arriving late. To be precise, this is the first time you've ever done anything like this. Care to explain the reason for it?"

Takuto's shoulders slumped while he exhaled. His expression was now solemn when he gave his answer to Hiro's questions. "Well, I'm not sure how to say this, but… I had a really mysterious dream. I don't remember the events that occurred in it, but I know it felt very familiar to me like a sort of soothing effect." His eyes narrowed as if trying to find out more information about something. "I think… it might have to do with what happened a long time ago."

Hiro tilted his head to his left. "From a long time ago? Do you remember the time period of the dream?"

Takuto nodded with precaution. "Yeah, I think so. It was probably around the time when I was in college. I can't seem to remember much except…" The blond trailed off, uncertain of the dream he had sawn before he woke up to the morning rays shining through his window. "Maybe, just maybe… Rina was in it. I couldn't see her eyes, but I'm positive she and I were both in my dream. She was smiling. It's very peculiar. I haven't seen her in years, but I still remember her smile. It's as though it never left my mind, not even once since that time we were together. Even now, I still can't get her image out of my heart."

Hiro's expression became a soft once, with understanding eyes and a warm smile to go with his realization of his friend's emotions. "So it was a memory of you two."

_Perhaps… _the orange-haired twenty-one-year-old thought, _it's finally occurred to him how much he really wants to see Rina again. It's been a while, though. He usually doesn't mention her at all. _Hiro giggled. _Typical Takkun. He hasn't changed one bit. But maybe he has, just a bit. Ahaha!_

"Argh!" Takuto gritted his teeth angrily. "Why can't I stop thinking about her?! This is too frustrating!"

Hiro laughed at the sight of the blond's infuriated state. "Haha!" He started grabbing his sides as he kept at it. "Ah! That look on your face! It's really funny, Takkun! Ahaha! Ow! My stomach! Someone help me!" He couldn't stop laughing as he held himself in place. There was much enjoyment to experience at the moment, which gave the latter quite a large amount of bliss from what he had seen.

"Hiro!" Takuto chided. "It's _not_ funny! My head actually hurts from thinking about Rina! Everything's popping inside and you're not helping the situation right now!"

Hiro opened his left eye. "Sorry, sorry! I had a strong urge to laugh just now, Takkun! I don't mean any harm by it, really! Maybe you should calm yourself down. Boss is almost done with the food, so it might be a good thing that you thought about Rina for once. She's an important person to everyone, you know."

"More like a nerve-wracking nuisance who's still invading my concentration," the blond retorted. "I'm not into little girls who are your age, Hiro. I like sensible women who know how to love guys who are in the center of the gap! Older guys wouldn't suit a girl who's over a year or more younger than them. It's the same for older girls dating younger guys—it just doesn't work out, and you know it."

Hiro's eyes widened. "But Rina's not the way you're describing her, Takkun. In fact, you've never said anything like that about her until now." Then, he frowned. "What's wrong? All of a sudden, you're saying these insults like an irritated thirty-year-old man. It's not like you to say something rude about Rina."

Takuto turned his head toward the counter. "I don't know. I only said that because of an impulse. It happens all the time, so don't think of it as something out of the ordinary. Focus on your own life, Hiro, and stay out of mine for a while."

Atsumu came up to face the two standing in his bar with his casual manner. "Well, you _were_ contradicting her a few seconds. I'm sure it was just the dream's effect on you, but it was also a part of the past you saw for a bit of your time. It _could_ be a sign of some sort, so try not to think too much about it right now. I believe your hunger's also getting to you, so why don't we drop the subject and go eat our meals? An empty stomach isn't going to help you through the day, right?"

Takuto sighed. "Fine. I'll go eat your disgusting food, Beardy." After that, he added, "But you better make me a bowl of pork noodles later. I can't do my part of the job without them to finish off for the night."

"Of course!" Atsumu beamed. "There's nothing that can beat the noodles I make here, except some of the other food here." He paused for a couple of seconds. "Huh? Wait. Hey!" His expression transformed with anger when he realized Takuto's harshness towards his food. "My food is _not_ disgusting! Everybody eats it, and they all love the taste!"

Takuto frowned nonchalantly. "Yeah, whatever. No one really cares, anyway."

Tears formed in Atsumu's eyes as he averted his gaze to his right without moving his head. "You're so cruel, Takkun. I really cared about you, yet you shattered my hopes and dreams."

Closing his eyes, he placed his right hand over his mouth in agony over Takuto's indifferent comments. He pretended to let out anguished and sorrowful cries with his mouth while his hand still covered it. Takuto, on the other hand, was already repulsed with the middle-aged man's actions. Simultaneously, Hiro smiled with his mouth opened, giving a "Haha…" to what he and Takuto were witnessing. It seemed as though their day was going to drag on for slow and [internally] painful hours before the bar was opened for business.

XXX

Having finished work for the afternoon, Takuto took a stroll around Ginza. There wasn't a lot for him to do that day, as with each and every day he woke up to. He always seemed to be the one (besides Hiro) to have more than enough free time, excluding a few occasions. Nonetheless, he was bored the whole time and even going home was not something he felt he could gather any energy to execute yet. It was an ordinary day, but it was as if something was missing deep within himself. Coming to a stopping point, Takuto frowned with a gaze that was looking down.

_Why…? _He thought. _Why does it keep recurring to me? This empty void which holds a section of my heart… Could I really be thinking about Rina at a time like this? Even if that's true, I don't even want to look back on these lingering feelings of a forgotten past with her. My time with the girl whose face I can't get out of my mind today is still binding me to her without a doubt. But… Is she still the same as before? She couldn't have _not_ changed in the past few years, so that's not it._

Takuto sighed. "There's no way I'd ever see her again, though. Why the heck am I even thinking about her at a time like this? I need to get a life of my own and just focus on getting things done without fail." After shaking his head, he began to walk forward again. However, it was a short amount of time before something caught his eye as he glanced to his right. His eyes widen in surprised at what he saw. "?! Hiro?"

Several feet across from where he was standing, the art student was sitting at a table inside a café with a girl who had long, light orange hair which reached past her waist a little. They two seemed to be enjoying their time together as they chatted.

"You know, you could always think about hanging out with me sometime," Hiro said thoughtfully. "I could also introduce you to the gang and it'd be a fun experience for everyone. How about it?"

The girl sitting on the opposite side laughed. "You're funny, Hiro. But no thanks." She had turned down the offer with a raise of her right hand. "I have other things to do than go out and talk with your group of male friends and female companion right now. Besides, I'm still at work and I have my own interests. I'd feel bad to just disrupt your daily life with my presence. You also told me about how it's always fun for you and your friends, and while it does sound very lively, I can't go and become a part of the family-like atmosphere all of a sudden. It would become a burden to me if I did."

Hiro pouted. "But, Sayuri, I only want you to have a good time here since you said you didn't have many acquaintances to contact in Japan. Plus, you're still new to the country even though it's almost been a month since you came to this world. Can't you say yes and come to my place instead? There's more than enough room for you, and I'm sure you'll like it there."

Sayuri shook her head. "No can do. I'm really sorry, Hiro, but try to think about yourself, rather than about me. Although I appreciate your kindness and everything you've tried to do for me, I don't really need to have such a wonderful gift from anyone. I can just work here during my stay in the Human World and live in the café for a while. That's the life I want right now, and I don't want anything to change it yet."

"Mm…" Hiro looked at the female worker and continued to smile as he did so. "Then, why don't we share something we can both drink together like a couple? I'll try not to say any more about it if we can at least do something just the two of us."

Sayuri's expression softened slightly as she placed her right hand [which was curled] near the side of her mouth. "The Milk Tea Special? Or perhaps, a tropical fruit juice in a large glass with two straws? Either way, we'll both be staring into each other's eyes while we drink it together."

"Ooh!" Hiro's eyes widened before an agreeing smile appeared on his face. "That's a great idea! We should get both, or just the milk tea today. We could get the tropical juice for next time. It'd make everyone think of us as an actual couple, rather than just friends."

"But you're the only one who would request to hold my hand," Sayuri blushed with a smile of her own. "The owner's been letting you off since you're such a popular customer, and you're always here to see me. Don't you have any classes to attend? You're still in college, aren't you? I'm sure that would fill your schedule up for a few portions of the day. Also, don't you have a part-time job at that bar, Hiro?" Then, she frowned. "Can you really waste time here for an employee such as myself?"

Hiro kept smiling. "Well, you do have a point there. I really like art and going to class is a nice start for me. I've studied many types of artwork and it makes my heart melt with admiration, but you're important to me, too, Sayuri. I mean, college courses are great and all, but I don't have to go to my class every single day in order to kill some time. I'm human like most of the people residing here. I believe that's much more of a reason to let you know how much I really want to be there for you. And working at Le Renard Noir is has its perks. I get to make people smile when I serve them. I've also helped out here after meeting you, so it's not such a bad life. After all, we became friends and it shouldn't matter to others how we appear to them. Just being with you, Sayuri, is what makes me happy."

"I know," Sayuri responded. "I'm really grateful to you, Hiro. However, I just feel anxious about how you're always so… carefree with your life. It's not like I hate anything about it, but I do worry about you since you're one of the only people here whom I've come to trust. You're… a very special human friend to me since you're one of the only people I've met so far who's taken the effort to know me as the person I am." She gazed tenderly at Hiro as if he were the only person she considered her _ami_.

Likewise, Hiro gazed back with compassionate eyes. Despite the fact that the friendship they had with one another was simplistic and not like most heterosexual ones, having a hint of fascinating interaction to it, the relationship they had was quite misleading to many people who saw them together. They were notably mistaken as a loving couple who had never been seen as more than twenty percent affectionate with each other. Furthermore, they would always be seen talking and eating (sometimes) together, but no lip contact or any further skin aside from Hiro's habit of holding Sayuri's hand, was really seen. Of course, there were times when they were working together due to the freelancer's dedication to his female companion. There was no more than a mere bond between them, but it was still believed they were lovers from any distance in which the two were viewed from.

Outside where he was still standing, Takuto stared at Hiro and Sayuri from the opposite street that was facing the café. He had a longing expression, which his eyes were burning with a small kind of envy before the turned his head to the center. Within seconds, he looked down with lowered eyes and drew out his cell phone. He flipped it open and gazed intently at the screen with a depressed expression on his face. His heart was encased with sad emotions for what felt (not what actually was) like a long time before he closed the flip phone in his hand. He slipped it back into his pocket and resumed his pace to take his mind off his prolonged feelings.

XXX

Later that evening at Le Renard Noir, Hiro and Atsumu were working in the restaurant, briskly serving the customers that came in. Many of them were either regulars or tourists who were excited about eating the food and drinks on the menu, and were piling up faster than those who came during the daylight hours. Unlike the other nights they had, though, the bar was full of people in less than five minutes. There was plenty of pressure in the air as Hiro ran back and forth to take orders and serve the correct orders. He was getting tired, running like he had never ran before. His heartbeat was pounding like crazy and the side of his stomach began to hurt, so he rested outside to catch his breath and wait for the pain to go away. It was truly a first time experience for him and just as his palpations were starting to slow down, someone came up to him, which in turn, made him look up at the person standing in front.

"Takkun…?" he said, somewhat puzzled at the blond. "Are you here for your pork noodles for the night? It's crowded in there, so we might have to wait for a few minutes before Boss can serve you a bowl."

With his usual nonchalant expression, Takuto replied. "I could tell by the exhausted look on your face. Why don't you take it easy until a fourth of the customers in there have already paid for their meals? It might help you relax more if you wait until going back."

Hiro smiled wryly. "Thanks, but… I'm the only one besides Boss who can help with serving everyone for now. Kenny and Rikkun are still working at their jobs, and being there for Boss is something I can do since we always seem to have up to a full house in the bar. Why don't you start helping out sometime, Takkun? You have more free time than you can handle on your shoulders, so maybe you can at least help with cleaning up the tables. I feel like I'm about to pass out here!" The college student began to fan himself using his right hand and it was clear his words were true. "Hah… hah… Ooh, that's hot!"

Takuto frowned. "Well, I can't really say that I'm good with what waiters do, but I think you should sit down inside, instead of staying out here? I'm hungry, anyway. You'll be fine if you stand up and walk yourself to a chair."

Without lending a hand to help Hiro, Takuto stepped into Le Renard Noir in a casual manner. This gave the former a chance to react as he instantly stood up and followed behind.

"Hey! Wait, Takkun! I'm coming, too!" he shouted moderately, doing his best to hurry into the bar.

When they came into the busy restaurant, some of the customers were leaving from their tables to go and pay for their bills. As always, Atsumu gave a generous smile and dealt with them with courtesy, thanking each and every one of them for their patronage. When he saw this, Hiro immediately went over to the empty tables and quickly cleaned up, wiping off the surfaces, and taking the dishes back and for to the kitchen. Soon, the rest of the people who had savored their food and drinks began to leave, emptying Le Renard Noir. While Atsumu washed the dishes and put them away, Hiro made sure to clear the tables and cleaned them properly without any failures At last, they could have some peace to eat without any outside disturbances after closing for the night.

"Good job, Hiro!" Atsumu beamed. He was in a delighted mood due to the success of his bar's reel not too long ago. "The way you handled everyone coming in tonight was amazing!" He added-approvingly, "I should have you work here full time when you graduate. It'll be fun, and we could run the bar together. What do you think? Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?"

Hiro gave a strained smile and sweat-dropped. "Uh… That's a nice idea, Boss. I might think about considering your offer later on, but don't you think we should get some more helpers around here? It was pretty packed up once the clock hit seven, and I'm just one person. We could have a few more people come and work here when they're not busy with anything. Everyone else has their hands full with their careers, but we can gather a bigger group this time. We've always had the five of us, in addition to Mitsuki-san, so maybe we should try to change things up a bit."

"Hmm…" Atsumu trailed off, contemplating the suggestion. "Well, let's see if Takkun agrees to it. We might get some more positive feedback from—"

Takuto grimaced. "No thanks. We have more than enough here. Anyway, I'm starving." At that moment, the blond went back to his old self. "Are my noodles ready yet, Beardy?"

"Takkun, be patient," Atsumu pouted in a pleading manner. "Please~?"

Takuto's eyebrows furrowed and his face displayed his ruthless anger. "The way you said that was horrifying! I can't put up with this unless you act more mature, so just get to it already!"

Atsumu's shoulders slumped and he sighed in resignation. "Alright… I'll get them for you. You don't have to yell every time…" He turned around and prepared a bowl of pork noodles for Takuto, smiling fondly as he used careful methods to complete the serving. His eye closed and he giggled as though relishing Takuto's severe reaction to him.

_I'm really loving this, _he thought. _I just hope Takkun doesn't say something rude to a girl, though. He probably will, but he just needs to like them more. _Atsumu sighed with a barely changing expression. _It's been a while since then, huh? I wonder if he'll reconsider things later on. It makes me worry seeing him like this. He used to be more tolerant about being around them. It was a bit of a shock to see him go through a transformation that's left him to be an empty shell. All I can really say is that I want things to shift towards a better life for him. If this could only be granted gradually, I…_

He shook his head and looked down.

_ No. This is an ordeal he has to face on his own in order to decide what he wants. That's the only reason why he's going through such a hard time without letting anyone help him. I know he wants to become a better person, but his stubborn personality won't let him do what's right. Oh, Takkun. _Thin streams of heard flowed down his cheeks when he closed his eyes with a lifted head. He was also crying on the inside with stifled sobs. _Why did things have to go this way? Everyone here loves you, so why can't you accept our feelings?! Ah ha...! My little boy's been so cruel to me and it hurts! Wahhhhhh!"_

Takuto tilted his head to his right, confused and perturbed by the bar owner's emotional alteration. "What's with him? He's going to make the pork noodles taste bad with all his crying."

Hiro sweat-dropped once more. "Who knows…" He had a feeling it would come to this, but he did not say more to it.

XXX

Now that everyone was gathered inside Le Renard Noir, they were about to discuss the night's mission. It would only be several minutes before they began. With a completely different attire from before, each of them were preparing their duties and plan.

"Now that everyone's here," Atsumu initiated the conversation with his laidback quality of speaking, "You all know what to do, don't you? It's very important that we get this painting back from being sold to the black market, so—"

Riki sighed, brushing off the speech. "Yeah, yeah. We all know how much of a prized possession this is. Let's just get to it already and start the mission. We don't have all the time in the world for this, Boss."

"Before that, I'd like to announce something," Hiro declared. "We have another member coming."

Everyone else except for Atsumu glance at the youth with perplexed looks on their faces.

"Another member?" Riki asked.

"Who is it?" Kenshi also inquired curiously. "We don't have anyone else in our team besides Saionji, and she's in Europe right now. There couldn't be another member, Hiro. It's just not possible."

Hiro's lips curled into a sly smiled. "Oh, but there is. It's someone we all know, so it should be obvious who's going to 'join' us tonight. I can't exactly reveal their identity, yet, but once they're here, you'll all thank me and rejoice for this."

"Huh?" Riki, Kenshi and Takuto said at the same time.

The three of them glanced at each other before looking back at Hiro, who only smile lightly at them. At that time, a set of footsteps were coming closer to Le Renard Noir.

Riki stared at Hiro with a stern expression. "Hiro, care to explain what you mean by that? We need to get this over with as soon as possible. Time's ticking and we're waiting for someone to _aid_ us with this mission? Come on. You can't expect us to wait for this mystery member."

"Well…" Stalling for time, Hiro trailed off with closed eyes. He did not mention anything else besides, "It's a secret."

"Huh?" Riki blinked. "A secret? What the hell are you talking about?! We don't have time for—"

Just as he was about to reprimand the orange-haired young man, someone stepped into the bar. All eyes immediately turned to look at the person standing near the entrance. Hiro and Atsumu smiled when they saw who had arrived, while the other three were suddenly filled with a mix of shock, surprise, and astonishment.

"RINA?!" they shouted in unison.

To add to their stunned positions and expression, the blonde young woman closed her honey-colored eyes and smiled, putting her right hand up almost as if she was about to wave at them [which she didn't]. Dressed with a black sleeveless shirt, along with a pair of near knee-length shorts that had white turn-up folds, and black ankle boots with gold and brown square rhinestones on them, she asked, "Did you miss me?"

It was _truly_ an unanticipated moment for Takuto, Riki, and Kenshi as they stared at the sight of their former comrade. Many emotions stirred in Takuto's heart the most at that moment, pulling it in different directions.


	2. Episode 2

Partners Once Again

Riki's curiosity got the better of him, but he put up a staid front. "Hiro. About what you said earlier. Just what exactly do you mean by someone else joining us on our mission? Mitsuki's away, so there can't be someone else in our team. We're not going to wait for anyone else to show up if you're playing around. We have to start the mission before it's too late to do anything about it."

While he had spoken his part, someone's footsteps drew near towards Le Renard Noir. Whoever was walking was unseen, except for their lower legs which wore a pair of black ankle boots.

Despite the fact Riki didn't believe his words, Hiro kept smiling in a casual manner. "Rikkun, I'm not playing with you all. I'm serious about what I told you, and I'm not lying about it, either. If you still don't believe me, just wait and see. Even if you ask me more about our friend, I can't tell you because it's a secret. For now, at least."

Riki was now dumbfounded by Hiro's reply. It took a moment before he could react; however, when he tried to respond, the owner of the mysterious footsteps entered the bar. Riki, Kenshi, and Takuto held their heads up and looked near the entrance. Seeing this, Hiro and Atsumu smiled, knowing what was about to happen next.

A look full of shock and surprised overcame the three when they saw who it was. They could not believe their eyes, but it was indeed true they had seen…

"RINA?!" they shouted in complete harmony.

The young woman with long blonde hair [which extended down to her upper thighs] closed her honey-colored eyes, tilting her head slightly to her right. Simultaneously, she had put her right hand up and smiled faintly.

"Did you guys miss me?" she asked them, dressed in a set of black clothes of her own. She was ready to begin the mission as they were.

Riki's eyes widened. "Is that really you?" He smiled at his old friend tears forming in his eye. "I can hardly believe it. Here you are standing right in front of us, and you haven't changed all this time. It's… good to see you again, Rina."

"It's nice to see you're still the same old sap, Riki," Rina replied. "But of course, none of us have changed since then, have we? We're still comrades after all these years. I mean, I never really left the Black Foxes, right? Unless, you counted me out after I had to go back to Neon."

"Now why would we do that?" Kenshi gasped. "You've always been a part of the team, and you still are one of us, Rina." He smiled, relieved to see the blonde all of them knew from the past. "You never even left our hearts and minds since the last time we saw you. No one could ever replace you or mark you out from the Black Foxes!"

Rina's eyes narrowed. "Reeaaally. And what was that you were saying about not having another member besides senpai? Hmm? Don't you even dare to think that I didn't hear what you said earlier. My hearing's not like the average person, Kenshi." She glanced at Riki with an angry frown. "And you of all people should know better than to say that there isn't any other member in our team, Riki. It sounded as though I never existed in your lives—not once. Did you ever care to consider how I would feel about being cut from this?"

At that moment, Riki paused, realizing the fault of his actions and words. "…" He stared blankly but decided to speak up about the matter. "I'm sorry, Rina. I didn't know you would show up here in front of everyone. You've been an important companion to us, and yet I blurted out some insensitive words. I'm sure I must have shattered your feelings for not figuring out what Hiro meant until now. However," the leader of the Black Foxes cut himself off, switching his apologetic expression to a tender smile, "you're still our first female member, and that hasn't changed since the day you came into our lives. You're Rina Tokuhara, and no one can ever take your place even if they tried to. That's what makes you special to our group."

Seeing Riki's sincerity, Rina couldn't help but smile back. "Riki… It's been so long since I was here. I'm glad I got to see you all again. I've missed the time we had together, but despite what's happened in the past, I look forward to the present instead."

With the situation settled between Riki, Rina, and the rest of the team, it seemed as if everything was the same. But there was something that was brewing up in Takuto's heart. He wasn't happy about how things turned out, and his core overflowed with pain from Rina's presence.

His eyes were shadowed and he frowned at the same time as he muttered his next words. "…Why did you come back?"

Rina and the others looked up. She stared at him, taking note of his expression. Then, she spoke up.

"Takuto, I—" Before she could say anything else, Takuto broke her off.

He had an aggressive expression patched onto his face which represented his anger. "The guys and I have been doing well without you after our relationship ended over three years ago, and yet you decide to show up all of a sudden tonight. What's with you?! Are you really here to help us out, or are you going to ruin our mission? I can't believe you would arrive just before we've even gotten to the destination. You've been stirring things up for me today, and you're still doing it! Why don't you go back to where you came from and leave all of us alone for a change?! We were known as the Black Foxes before you even joined in the first place and we had no intention of letting you in, so just get out of here before you distract us any further, you got it?!"

With a somber expression on her face, Rina said, "Look. I'm didn't come back to this world because I felt like surprising everyone without any warning. In fact, I never had the intention of seeing you again, Takuto. I have my own reasons for being here, and they don't lie with wanting to build up a storm for you or anyone else in this city. Try to at least understand my side of the story."

"That's right, Takkun," Hiro agreed with a stern expression of his own. "I was the one who called her to help with the mission. It's not Rina's fault for being here, so don't put the blame on her. It was because of my actions that she even came back to Ginza in the first place. At any rate, taking your anger out on your ex isn't going to solve your problems. We still have to start the mission and finish what we came to do. Let's just go already and get the painting back for Pete's sake!"

A look of surprise appeared on Takuto's face as he stared at Hiro. "Wait, what do you—"

"No time for that, Takuto!" Kenshi shouted. "We're running out of time! We'd better hurry before the art dealer makes his move."

"Just stick with Rina for the time being and let's do this!" Riki commanded.

While Takuto was still baffled, the guys nodded and everyone except for Atsumu headed toward the location of the painting.

XXX

Inside a large mansion, Riki and the others, excluding Takuto and Rina, were about to begin, with Riki initiating the mission.

Instead of grinning victoriously, he had a serious expression on his face. "It's show time. We're ready for action, guys."

"Roger that, Leader," Hiro replied.

Kenshi smiled. "If anyone tries to stop us, I'll take them out in no time at all."

"Right," Riki answered. "Hurry straight down the hallway. We'll head to the door at the end and break in."

The three of them ran forward and commenced their part of the mission. Meanwhile, the two blonds were sitting in the back of the van, observing the scene. They silently gazed at the computer screen. After a few seconds, Takuto gave a set of instructions.

"Riki, there's an alarm in the room you're heading for. When you arrive at it, wait for twenty seconds. I'll disable it." He began to type at an astoundingly fast rate.

Riki nodded, awaiting for Takuto's approval. "Alright. I'm counting on you, Takuto."

"Got it." Takuto finished typing and stared at the screen with precaution. "Go."

At Takuto's command, Riki, Hiro and Kenshi opened the doors and ran inside. They walked up to the painting, which was on the wall in front of them, and Hiro examined it.

"…Huh?" the youngest member's eyes widened in confusion.

"What's wrong, Hiro?" Riki asked.

Kenshi's mouth opened. "Did you find anything?"

"…! It's a counterfeit," Hiro said, pulling himself away from the painting.

"What?" Kenshi blurted out in bewilderment.

A solemn expression ran across Riki's face. "Are you sure it's fake, Hiro? There wasn't another one that looked just like the one in this room."

"I'm positive it's a false copy of the actual painting," Hiro frowned. "If possible, someone may have taken the real one from this spot. I can just feel something different about the place it's hanging from."

"Then," Kenshi uttered, "what are we going to do now?"

Riki sighed, and his shoulders slumped. "Guess we don't have much of a choice here. We'll retreat and return to Le Renard Noir for now. We're going to have to report to Boss about the situation when we get back."

Rina stared at the screen in the van for a moment. All of a sudden, her eyes widened, realizing something. "…!" Her expression became dead serious in an instant. "Riki! Hiro, Kenshi! Get out of there right now!"

Takuto looked up and turned towards his right. "Huh? What is it?"

"The room's going to give away soon, Takuto!" the young woman informed her former lover.

Takuto's eyes widened. "What?!"

"There's no time for them to escape normally. I'll have to help them!"

She took one more look at the screen. Then, she teleported into the room the three male members were in. She dashed towards them and they looked at her with surprise in their eyes.

"Rina?" Riki said in an astonished manner. "What are you doing here?"

Rina frowned. "Quick. Just grab hold of my hand. The room's going to explode in a less than a minute."

"Wha—"

Before he could express his shock, Rina swiftly put her left arm around him; her right arm was around Kenshi. She had taken hold of them, and the two grown men were now facing the floor. They had to comply, however, since they knew Rina was correct somehow. Hiro glanced to his right and smiled. He and Rina sprinted towards the entrance as fast as they could on foot. Due to the fact she was holding both Kenshi and Riki, Rina didn't have enough power to teleport with them back to the van. Additionally, if she did, they would more than likely crash into Takuto and his laptop, sending them toppling and suffocating the dirty blond. Just as they reached the front door, the entire interior exploded, and debris was everywhere when they leaped out. It was a blast that annihilated the building they were in, and parts of it were crumbling from the vast impact. Glass had shattered and many fragments were currently laying on the grass, along with what was left of the mansion. What used to be a beautiful and long creation was now an obliteration.

As the four of them turned their heads toward the destroyed mansion, Rina panted a bit, having placed her curled hand over her chest. Takuto came out of the back of the van afterwards.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked. There seemed to be some hint of worry in his expression when stepped to the outside world. "I saw what happened on the screen. Are you guys hurt or anything?"

Hiro smiled kindly. "No, we're not hurt. In fact, that was actually pretty awesome just now."

Riki nodded. "Yeah. And it's all thanks to Rina for coming to our rescue when the mansion blew up."

"If she hadn't been there at that moment, we would have been goners tonight," Kenshi added. With the back of his right arm, he wiped off the sweat on his forehead. "Phew! That was quite the most I've ever seen anyone make of it! You should have been there, Takuto! It was a blast that made my heart pound faster than it had ever done before!"

Seeing his friends' expressions of gratitude, Takuto realized he was wrong to have judged his ex-girlfriend. He knew she was a good person deep down, but he couldn't muster up the courage to say anything amiable about her in front of everyone, not even to Rina herself. The truth was, it was because of Rina's efforts that Hiro, Riki and Kenshi were fine and still alive. He understood the bravery that not many people would have been able to utilize for the sake of saving others if they were to find out about an upcoming explosion. Although Rina wasn't an ordinary girl, she did what she could to save the guys from harm, and that was what mattered the most.

Takuto lowered his eyes, sinking into his thoughts.

_Man… What was I thinking, trying to argue with her? _He sighed. _I know that she's not trying to do anything wrong, but I just can't… I can't even bring myself to be nice to her. I can't believe I've turned into this jerk who's always being harsh towards others. Why did I become this way? _His shoulders slumped and he glanced at Rina's back before looking back down. _Anyway… I better say something before it's too late._

He looked to his left, averting his gaze from everyone. "…Thanks. For saving them."

Rina, who was still staring at the place the mansion was, looked up and turned her head clockwise. "…" She didn't say anything, but she gazed at the hacker as if she were trying to see through him.

Riki's eyes widened. "Takuto…" A smile appeared on his face with comprehension. He knew of the dirty blond's hard time expressing his true feelings as he watched him.

_If only things were back to what they used to be like, _he thought. _I'm sure Takuto would be better off returning to his old self, but there's only a small part of him that's still there from the past. But… _He looked down, acknowledging how things were now. _It's not a completely bad thing that he's here with us today. Rina came back, but it's thanks to Hiro. He must've phoned her this morning around eight. That little rascal. He's always full of concern for Takuto, but he's not the only one. We've all worried about him and Rina more than anyone else. I wonder if things will be fine for them. Takuto's words are pretty severe, but down in his heart, I'm sure it's more of a way he protects himself from getting hurt. He may try to say something rude to keep someone else from getting hurt, but it's worse for the receiving end of the party. I'm sure Rina's the only one who can truly turn things around for him, but it won't be easy. Takuto has a wall around himself that shuts him away from those who try to reach out to him. He won't let the ice surrounding his heart melt no matter what, but I know that he actually wants someone to free him from being a cold person. What worries me the most is how he'll act when he's with Rina. Their relationship took a sudden turn downhill because of him, so will things really be okay? He might regret his harsh personality later on, and there might not be a way to help him if something happens to affect his emotions. At any rate, he'll need to open up to her more if he wants to be someone who's nicer to others. I can't exactly help him out much, but I'll be there when I can._

Riki looked up and smiled once more. "Let go home. I'm sure everyone's tired."

"Yeah. We can't stay here for long, anyway." Takuto gave a nod, his gaze still facing the ground.

Hiro and Kenshi smiled when they saw Takuto's expression.

"I'll drive," Kenshi offered. "I wasn't of much use during the mission, so it's the least I can do."

"You always drive the van when we go on missions, Kenny," Hiro beamed. "So it's about the only thing you _can_ do when we go on one!"

"Hey!" the sniper exclaimed. "It's not like that's the _only_ thing I can do, right? I can fight when there are enemies, Hiro! You're the one who checks the art, so there's not exactly a lot coming from your side most of the time. We have our own parts to fulfill."

Takuto sighed. "Whatever. It's already late, so let's just go already."

"There's nothing like Takuto's complaints that keeps us on track, huh?"

Takuto was back to his usual nonchalant attitude once he heard Riki's words. "Shut up. I'm just as exhausted as you guys are. That's all. Plus, I was sitting at the back since I always do that during our missions. The old man's waiting for us with food, so we should fill our stomachs before going home for the night."

"Yeah, we know," the leader replied. He stood up and turned his head around. "Rina, let's go! We're heading back to the bar like we always do."

Rina nodded and stared walking. Hiro and Kenshi went ahead and they all got in the van. While everyone else was chatting inside, the female member was a hundred percent silent. She did not say a word on the way back, only staring at the car floor in the back. Takuto was looking at her, but he didn't say a thing to Rina. However, he did join in the conversation the guys had in front. When they reached back to Le Renard Noir, they got off and Atsumu welcomed them back. Once again, Rina was the last one to follow after the rest of the team. The atmosphere became lively again with the large amount of food that was laid out on one of the tables.

"Well that was a success!" the bar owner beamed with a broad grin; he was holding a glass of beer in his right hand was as enthusiastic as ever. "To tonight's mission! And to Rina's return to our group! Cheers!"

"CHEERS!"

Everyone else held up their drinks and put them together for the celebration.

Before they began eating, Takuto pointed out with a smirk, "But it wasn't actually a success since we didn't get the painting back. It was a total failure."

"But it couldn't be helped tonight," Hiro stated. "We fell into a trap and almost died in the inner room."

Kenshi nodded. "If it wasn't for Rina, we'd be all over the place in particles. The mansion exploded when we were about to get out."

"I didn't do anything that great," Rina smiled. "I did what I could to get you guys away from being terminated in there. It wasn't much, though, so you don't have to keep saying anything about me."

"But it's true!" Kenshi proclaimed. "You were the only one who detected the explosion and saved us from being blown into bits and pieces. You should get all the credit for what you did!"

"But I wonder why it did," Hiro said with bewilderment. "We checked it before we went there. We didn't even find any bombs or dynamite planted inside the mansion, so it's something that's been intriguing to me since we got out."

"Hmm…" Riki pondered. "That's true." His expression became serious with deep thought. "The painting was also gone and was switched with a replica once we reached the last room. But who exactly could have done all those things? It could also be that someone planned the explosion and alteration. They may have known we were coming and set us up with a trap before we carried out the mission, so they might have wanted to get rid of us."

Takuto frowned. "About that. I checked once we were on our way back, and found that it was indeed a fake painting. However, I didn't find much about it. There were a lot of clues as to who took the painting and since the mansion was destroyed, there wasn't much I could trace back. Someone was definitely there since the real one was already gone by the time we reached the building. We might have someone targeting us, or even any of the works of art we're after, so it seems almost like a game to get there first."

"We can't do much about it now that it's been swapped," Atsumu reminded. "Buuuuuttt. We can always work on the rest and get those later. Anyway, the food's getting cold, so we should all eat up before speaking another word about this incident. I'll try to get some info about this tomorrow if I can. Let's dig in, guys!"

Everyone nodded.

"Let's eat!"

After their late dinner, Atsumu, Hiro, and everyone else put away their dishes. While the owner of Le Renard Noir and the art student washed the dishes the rest of the group was about to part ways from one another.

"Well, see you guys tomorrow," Kenshi smiled. "It was nice seeing you again, Rina. Have a good night's sleep once you get home."

Rina smiled back lightly. "Thanks, Kenshi. It was nice seeing you guys, too. Make sure to take some time off and visit your mother when you're not busy. I'm sure she wants to see you soon."

"Ahaha," the firefighter chuckled. "Will do. Bye." He gave a motionless wave with his left hand and walked home.

Riki turned his head towards Takuto and Rina with a stern expression. "Takuto, make sure to walk her all the way to her apartment. Don't be half-assed about it, either, you hear me?"

"Yeah, I know," Takuto responded with indifference. "It's not like I would leave here out on the street so some weirdo would take her somewhere. You should at least trust me more, Riki."

Riki frowned. "With you, I'm sure any one of us would worry whether or not you're doing things right. You always say something that makes the people around you depressed or sad. Sometimes, they'll also get angry because you're too inconsiderate with your words. It's not uncommon for something like that to happen. Try to keep things in moderation, will you?"

"I will," Takuto replied. "You should get back before you get a headache from drinking that glass of beer. You should already know what you're like when you get drunk and try to go home. It's not exactly the best part about you every time you decide to drink."

There was a sigh from the twenty-seven-year-old man, but he smiled short after that. "Thanks for trying to save me some trouble. I'll see you guys later."

With that, he walked out and made his way home, leaving the ex-couple standing next to each other. They glanced at the other before taking a stroll to Rina's home.

XXX

Takuto and Rina hadn't said anything to each other during their walk. Rina was in front of Takuto for a portion of the way to her apartment after about half a minute. It took another fifteen minutes before they reached the complex.

Rina stopped and turned around. "This should be fine. Thanks for taking me here."

"It wasn't because I wanted to, you know," Takuto commented with a stoic quality to his voice and composure.

However, Rina kept smiling as she looked at the programmer. "I know. You don't really have to say anything about it. I just wanted to let you know that I'm glad you at least took the time to get me back to my place safely."

"Is that really all you wanted to say?" Takuto asked. "Wouldn't you usually offer me something to drink since I walked you here?"

Rina lowered her eyes and exhaled. "You'd say that it's a bother. I'm certain of it since we're not even dating. We've both changed since the day we broke up."

Takuto sighed. "Man, what a pain. I even took the time to ask. You could at least give me a cup of tea to help me wash down the taste. We ate a lot of food, but I'd rather have something to get rid of tonight's beer."

"Alright, you can come in if you want." Rina had placed her right hand on her hip. "But I might not be able to give you much since I just came back to Tokyo."

"Whatever. I'll take what you can make for me. I'm still a little thirsty, anyway," Takuto added.

They both walked up the stairs and stopped in front of the second door. Rina took out her apartment key and opened the door, letting them both in. She took the key out and closed the door behind them, locking it immediately. After the two of them took of their shoes, Rina headed in to the kitchen and began preparing a small pot of tea for Takuto, who took a look inside the room and sat down at near the wooden table. He waited for a few seconds before looking toward his right. He could see Rina's figure moving in the kitchen a bit, but he felt somewhat anxious to be in his ex-girlfriend's shelter. He didn't even know what to say to Rina when he sat down on the cushion!

_How did I even get myself into this situation? _He asked himself. _I only wanted to get some tea, but it still makes me uneasy to be around her. Geez… I'm such an idiot for asking Rina for something like this. Argh! I shouldn't even go to her apartment just to get a drink or two, but I just couldn't find myself to leave yet! What's with me, anyway?!_

As he scolded himself for staying inside his old lover's house, Rina poured out some green tea into two exquisite cups that didn't seem to be made out of glass, but something much more… rare and expensive, which reflected the light of a gemstone. It was like two light green emeralds, rather than just ordinary cups on the tray. Then, she picked up the tray and walked over to where Takuto was sitting, and set it on the table, placing a cup in front of Takuto before serving herself.

"Here you go." She smiled at the twenty-four-year-old man. "I made sure let it cool down a little so it won't burn your tongue. Just take your time when you dink the tea."

Takuto nodded, having returned his typical nonchalant expression by the time Rina arrived. "Thanks. I know I've caused you some trouble tonight." He looked down and frowned. "You even had to save Riki and the others' lives during the mission, too. And… sorry for what I said to you earlier. It was just—"

"—an impulse, right?" Rina had a forgiving expression as she gazed into Takuto's eyes. "I know you get angry more than once, and you've gotten a harsher tone than back then. That much I've noticed since I saw you a few hours ago. But that doesn't mean that you haven't retained part of your old self. You're still the same Takuto Hirukawa I know, despite the turn in your personality. We can start over and be friends this time if you'd like. I don't mind if you don't want to, and if you hate me, but I'll bear with it no matter what. I'm a part of the Black Foxes and that hasn't changed like Riki said, so I'll continue to stay in the team, even if we get into fights every now and then. I'm Rina Tokuhara, after all. I can't just abandon my position in our group and you can't, either. You're the hacker and I'm one of the helpers. We are who we are, so let's stay like that and put up with everything."

"…" Takuto stared at Rina with empathetic emotions. He understood the feelings her words carried within a second. "Rina…"

Rina closed her eyes; she kept smiling and lowered her head faintly. "No matter what happens, Takuto, I'll always support you. You don't have to think about me or anything, but I'll keep thinking about you, and I will always wish for your happiness. We're… in this together. We might encounter some bumpy roads during our missions and everyday lives, but we'll make it through because we have each other. You and I are one mind and body. And that won't change at all, Takuto. We'll never be apart since we're partners in crime. We were comrades in the past, and we came to be comrades in the present and future. As long as we have each other, everything will be all right."

Takuto gave another nod and put his right hand on Rina's head. "Yeah. We'll be together even if we're far away or close to one another. I swear we'll be able to carry out our purpose as thieves, so don't worry about a thing and let's walk forward together with everyone."

Rina held on to Takuto's arm with her right hand and they stayed like that for a while. Even after she felt asleep, Takuto continued to watch after her before leaving early in the morning before anyone else was awake.

XXX

Meanwhile, there was a figure inside a museum who was smiling. It was a female whose eyes were shadowed and covered with her bangs. The room she was in was filled with rare artifacts and other statues. She was also holding a small statue in her right hand.

"Now," she said with satisfaction, "I just have to hand these items over to the authorities and capture the ones who stole them from their rightful owners. That'll be enough to bring justice for now. However, I'll have to continue my duties and turn in anyone who opposes the peaceful life of the civilians in this city, _especially_ those dirty Black Foxes who are rumored to be stealing for good. They may be doing Robin Hood's job in their own way, but that doesn't mean they're not criminals." She looked up, revealing her green eyes in an intense expression. "I'll have to put them behind bars once and for all."

XXX

It was around four a.m. when he finally reached his house and entered the gate. For some reason, he didn't feel tired, despite having stayed up to keep an eye on Rina since eleven-thirty the previous night. He felt relieved and found himself smiling without a care in the world. He was also glad to have made up with her. He was now at ease as he stepped into his house, waiting another two hours for the day to become brighter.


	3. Episode 3

A New Enemy Appears!

It was around seven o'clock that morning when everyone was gathered in Le Renard Noir. Atsumu had a stern expression etched onto his face while the TV was on.

"Something major has happened, and that's why I called you all here today," he began. It seemed quite drastic for him to elaborate on the event that had yet to be addressed. "Do you know what is being featured right now?"

Riki's shoulders slumped. "No, but…"

"What exactly is going on?" Kenshi asked. He was just as exhausted as everyone else. "Why are we even here this early in the morning, Boss?"

Hiro sleepily rubbed his eyes. "Mm… Can I go back to sleep? I still have a bit of a hangover from last night after we came back from our mission."

Takuto narrowed his eyes. "Tell me about it. My day has barely even begun and I only had a few hours to rest."

"But there's a reason for this, isn't there?" Rina yawned, covering her mouth with her right hand with her eyes closed. "It might be a good thing to hear what he has to say for a change."

Riki frowned grumpily. "Even if we did, would it make much of a difference? We're all tired, but he looks like he's got more energy than us. This isn't what our morning should even start off with. And Kenshi and I have work in a few hours, too. What did we even do to deserve this, anyway?"

"It's actually more important than you think!" Atsumu grinded his teeth with an angry expression. His eyebrows were furrowed as he looked at Riki. "Why don't you all just listen to this news report to find out about it?!" He relaxed and returned to having a laidback smile on his face. "It'll tell you the reason I gathered you guys here in the first place."

They all turned their heads towards the TV and saw a reporter smiling as he announced what was currently taking place in Ginza.

"Lately, there have been reports about a mysterious person," he said in a calm manner.

"A mysterious person?" Takuto questioned. "What's so great about someone like that?"

"Just wait and you'll see what it's about," Atsumu advised the programmer.

The reporter was standing in front of a police station and he turned his head a bit to look at it. "Here we have the local police station where the anonymous person was at two hours ago around five a.m. It was not until an hour later when the authorities released an announcement, telling of a young woman who has been capturing criminal and turning them all over to the law to handle. Apparently, she had also told the police about the stolen artworks, gemstones, jewelry, and even weapons they had stolen, or were planning to steal, along with priceless artifacts and rare items, giving them over to a nearby museum. She was also known to be a very beautiful person, and has been known to give off the aura of a professional detective. Furthermore, she has even seized those who are amateurs at committing crimes, such as robbers, and is mostly known to be a magician. She also has a strong sense of justice and believes that stealing and harming others is wrong, with hopes of putting an end to the relentless threats to our city. What's even _more_ intriguing is her declaration to turn these villains over to the hands of justice." He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and held it out so it could be seen. Then, he glanced at it and read the note aloud. "This is a sheet of paper with a written proclamation from the magnificent young lady who has helped us out since her arrival in Ginza. This is actually addressed to the Black Foxes, who are well-known throughout many parts of Japan and other countries and continents for stealing for the sake of art. They are dubbed as Ginza's version of Robin Hood, but have not been seen by the public eye. However, it does not appear to be an ordinary game for both sides, as the note reads, 'I vow to apprehend those thieves with my own hands. The Black Foxes are going to go to prison once and for all as soon as I get my hands on them. I will be turning them over to the police and I will rid the world from their filthy presence because it is my duty to bring peace to all of Earth and its innocent people.'" The reporter then looked up at the screen and added, "That said, I will lend my support to this courageous beauty for her efforts and commitment to stop these crimes from occurring. It is because of her bravery that we have begun to smile once more. It is not a dream, but reality, and we owe it all to her for saving our troubled hearts from this upcoming danger. This wonderful person has only started her goal, and she continues to touch our souls from a distance. If possible, I'd also like to wish for her happiness. She's been doing so much for us lately; it's only natural for us to want to help her in one way or another. Let's wish for her victory against the Black Foxes, and—"

At that moment, Atsumu pushed a button on the remote control, which instantly turned the TV off. After that, he looked at the group sitting in front of the counter with a casual smile implanted on his face while his shoulders dropped.

"So, do you all see what I mean now?" he inquired. "When I saw this in the newspaper, I just _had_ to find out more about it. When you think about it, doesn't the thought of a beautiful woman standing up against us sound interesting? Not many have taken their time to do anything about what we've always done in the past, so it certain peaks your curiosity about who could be trying to put us behind bars."

Hiro frowned nervously. "Hmm… But it _does_ sound a little troubling to think we might have a rival now. And if we get caught by whoever's after us, it'll be even harder for us to break out of their grasps."

"True," Kenshi noted with concern. "The reporter also mentioned that the girl was probably a magician. If what he said is a hundred percent spot-on, it could put us at a disadvantage. We don't exactly have the kind of power magicians do, except for Rina and Saionji. They're the only ones who can stand up to this person without getting damaged much."

Riki responded with a staid expression. "While this poses a high possibility of danger for us, I say we'll have to find out ourselves about this girl if we want to know more about who she is." He turned his head to the right, looking at Rina, who was almost at the farther end of the counter with Takuto. "Think you can lend us a hand, Rina? We might as well enlist your help. Since Mitsuki's still in Europe right now, it'll take some time before she gets back. You're the only one we can really get to check and see if the secret person is a magician or not right now. I don't want to harm her, even if she's our enemy." A loving smile appeared on his face. "If she's one of your kind, I'm sure she's not a bad person. Plus, Mitsuki wouldn't approve of us hurting a girl if she knew about it. We'll have to relay the news to her when she gets back to Japan."

"Haha, looks like Riki's really been tied down because of her!" Atsumu teased. His expression relaxed shortly afterward. "But he's right. We can't just attack a magician out of nowhere, so we'll have to be careful when we meet this young lady. We should try to loosen our guard around her if we get a chance to meet her. She might be a great friend or foe for the Black Foxes, don't you think?"

Takuto's eyes narrowed as he considered the idea. "…" He looked up with a stoic look on his face. "It doesn't sound like a good thing to me. We can't have someone who's supposed to be our nemesis help us. She's on the side of the law, after all. There's no way she would ever think about letting a group of thieves roam free. Didn't you all hear her message to us?" His eyebrows drew towards the center of his nose bridge. "She simply hates us because we're stealing artworks from the bad guys! She opposes people who would do that sort of thing, and she won't forgive anyone who does something to disrupt the entire city—heck, the entire country even! Do you really think we can allow her to get hold of us and drop all the charges she's going to penalize us for?! We're not even stealing for the sake of hurting other people, but even if we try to convince her, she'll still be after us. We might endanger Rina and Mitsuki if we go through with this." He temper went down and he returned to having an indifferent expression. "I don't actually approve of crossing paths with this girl, but it'd be better to put those two first before we do anything else."

Riki's eyes widened. He didn't expect Takuto to lecture them on the subject at hand, and it was quite a surprise to hear how much he thought about the girls in the team. "Takuto… I didn't know you cared so much for everyone, including the both of them. You've never said anything like this before, so it's a bit shocking for you to say anything about their safety, especially Rina's now that things have changed between you two." He smiled affectionately. "Thanks, Takuto. I'm glad you also put Mitsuki before the rest of us since we have more male members. I know you like her, too, so it's nice to see your concern for her."

Takuto's cheeks were glimmering with bright pink shades. "I-It's not because I don't want you to regret losing her, okay? I'm just looking out for you, is all. Hmph!" He averted his gaze, looking behind Rina at the entrance to the bar. Everyone knew how embarrassed he was, but didn't say a word about it.

Rina glanced at Takuto before looking at the counter's smooth, wooden surface. "Well, I don't mind helping out, but it gives me an uneasy feeling. Somehow, I'm not really sure we should confront her at all. There's a high chance of her being a magician and if it turns out that she _is_ one, it'll be difficult for us to strike her down or run away from her, unless…" She trailed off, several emotions moving around past one another in her mind.

Hiro saw her expression, understanding the feelings Rina had. With another frown, he spoke up. "I have some mixed feelings about this myself. There just seems to be something out of place about it." He smiled faintly. "I don't know why, but it makes my heart waver. It's as if something has struck the strings within it, creating a rippling effect in my chest. It kind of hurts, too. I'm wondering what's causing it, but at the same time I don't think I want to find out yet. Strange, huh?"

"It could be that you don't want to find out the true identity of this mystery girl," Atsumu pointed out lightly. "Perhaps you're even afraid to know who she is and what she looks like. It happens every now and then. You can always talk about it with someone and sort out your feelings if that helps. Usually, I'd think of you as someone who would rather talk about your problems with a girl, instead of an old man like me. We also have more guys than girls in our group, so you'd probably want to find some comfort in one of your female classmates at college to seek a solution. I think it's easier for you to relax with a young lady whom you're fond of, Hiro."

"So you admit you're an old perv who doesn't know how to keep himself away from cracking sexual harassment jokes," Takuto insulted the bar owner. An evil grin suddenly appeared on his face. "Aren't _you_ the honorable one to give Hiro advice like that? Sounds pretty suspicious to me."

"You have a point there, Takuto," Riki agreed. "You seem to be trying to coax Hiro into committing a crime yourself, Boss." He frowned with dissatisfaction. "Don't you think it's a selfish thing to do to a college student who loves art more than anyone else in our circle?"

Kenshi folded his arms and nodded with closed eyes. "That's right, Boss." He opened his eyes, revealing a solemn look in his eyes. "If you tell Hiro to find peace and comfort in a girl, he'll probably do something to seduce her! In fact, he might even fall asleep in her lap to get his mind off this hidden person. If the girl he goes to visit turns out to be a few years older than him, it'll _really_ be a crime! Also, what if they already know about who we really are and decide to wait for the perfect opportunity to get to us one by one like that game, 'Lurking within the Shadow Grounds'? _Then_, what do we do?!"

Rina's eyes narrowed as she turned herself to face the firefighter. "Kenshi, that's just an RPG horror game. You can play that on your PC after downloading it from a website like any other game in the category. You exaggerated the joke to the point where it's like Halloween is coming up months before the actually date. Try to learn how to take it to a mild level, okay? It's one of your flaws, and it hasn't changed since you were in high school."

Kenshi laughed eagerly. "Haha! Sorry," he rubbed the back of his head, "I got carried away there. It happens from time to time, but it's not much of a big deal."

"Hey, you remembered what I told you back then," Takuto said with his usual stoic personality. His monotone voice matched his appearance. He placed his right hand on Rina's head just like the night before. "Good girl, good girl. Keep listening to me and crack some more insults in the future." His mischievous sneer was back when he started on his last sentence. "It'll make things funnier when you're around this buffoon."

Rina was slightly irritated by her ex-boyfriend's order. "Takuto, you know I'm not going to do that. Anyway, we should give Hiro some time to think about this by himself. It seems to be tugging at him more than anyone else here. I'm sure he has a lot to think about without us." She closed her eyes and folded her arms against her chest, crossing her right leg over her left while smiling warmly. "Besides, he's the youngest member here right after me. He should be able to relax somewhere with his girlfriend."

"Now, I would _love_ to meet her," Atsumu stated. "Hiro's girlfriend must be quite a cute little thing. I bet her looks can melt a person's heart with one glance from any guys around Hiro's age."

"I _knew_ Beardface was a pedophile," Takuto commented with disgust. "Ugh. He must _really_ be into shorties if he's mustered up the courage to say something like _that_ out loud for everyone to hear." Another nonchalant expression ran onto his face as he looked up from his seat. "Such a sick old man runs a restaurant like this, but never says anything about it to the customers. That's just the kind of thing he would do." He pulled another repulsed face. "Nasty."

Atsumu's eyes widened, making him look like he was in a daze. "Takkun, that's not a nice thing to say. I'm not into young girls who are under five feet tall. You know that, don't you?"

Takuto frowned, preserving his indifferent assertiveness. "See? He _is_ a pedophile. Who would want to date a man like him, anyway?" His expression changed again, becoming annoyed once more. "He's so gross to the core! That's what makes him unattractive to people. Anyone who's ludicrous enough to fall for him _has_ to be out of their mind. Otherwise, they wouldn't brainwash themselves into believing they have any romantic feelings for him."

Tears formed in Atsumu's eyes and he wiped a tear from his right eye after closing both of them. "Uu… Takkun's being so cruel to me… Someone help out my poor soul…"

Hiro giggled. "Boss and Takkun are pretty funny. It's like I'm watching a TV show!" Since he and the others, excluding Atsumu, were still sitting in front of the counter, he grabbed the opposite side of his stomach with his right hand and continued to laugh merrily. "Ooh! Ahaha! This is awesome!" He exhaled and inhaled a few times, trying to catch his breath. "Oh! That hurts! But it feels so tingly whenever I laugh too hard." He panted a bit more before recovering with a, "We better get ready for business soon. It's almost time for us to open."

Indeed, it was twenty-five minutes before nine that morning on the clock. The others stood up from their seats.

"Well, I'd better get going," Riki proclaimed. "It's almost time for me to go to work. See you guys later."

Kenshi smiled. "We have another mission tonight, so we still have some time before it starts to get ready with a full plan. If we run into the girl who's set on turning us in to the police, it'll keep us from getting it accomplished. We better be cautious of her if we want to get away without any problems."

Takuto nodded. "Yeah. It'll be even worse if she blocks our path. We'll have to maneuver our way around her somehow."

Hiro smiled calmly. "Don't worry. We'll figure something out. I'm not sure if my techniques will work on her, though. I mean, if she's a magician, it'll just be an insult, right? I don't want to get on her bad side, especially if she _is_ one."

"Rest assured, we'll at least be able to see for ourselves whenever we encounter her," Rina replied. "That is, if we get the chance to meet her in person. We need to keep our guards up to about sixty percent in case she makes the first move. It won't be too challenging to achieve our goals if we can get to the cymophane first. Since it's going to be embedded into a new necklace, it'll be a rare find for those in the mafia to get hold of it. Hopefully we can prevent it from being sold to the black market or donated to the museum the retrieved artifacts have been given to. We can't afford to let it get away from our clutches no matter what. They'll be after it again if we fail the mission like last night."

Riki nodded. "Right. We have to be get it this time and uphold our reputation as the legendary Black Foxes." His serious expression transformed into a regular smile. "As the leader, I don't want to lose to this pursuer. We were already too late to find the painting yesterday. Though it was one that depicted Takuji Uramoto, it couldn't be helped that it was switched with a replica. Perhaps the painting was precious to someone who knew him. Whoever was behind yesterday's explosion is probably trying to toy with us. We could be lured into their trap at any moment, even now."

"Let's just leave the subject until later on, okay?" Hiro suggested. "We don't really need to think back to what happened yesterday. It was pretty late when we all left, so we were also tired from having dinner right after. What's done is done, and we can't time travel back to when we went to the mansion. It would risk having to go there again and we'd only end up failing a second time. Who's to say we could have really prevented that unless we would have known sooner? It was all according to fate, so it was pre-determined we would lose our chance of getting the painting. We should focus on getting the next item and securing it without conflict. I know it's very naïve of me to think this way, but I'm hoping for the person who's fixed on catching us to let us off the hook just this once. I believe she may be a good person at heart, but she's also strong-willed. It truly impresses me how much she's going through just to get to us for the sake of helping others. Despite what's she's trying to do to us, it gives me a warm feeling to think there's someone who has the guts to stand up on their own feet against the Black Foxes."

Atsumu smiled tenderly at Hiro, recognizing his beliefs. "Hiro…" The next thing he knew, he had given a nod. "That's right. We can't exactly say that she's a bad person, but it depends on who she really is. If we know more about her, it'll certainly help us out with trying to understand her reasons for trying to capture us. While I'd like to meet her and all, today's going to be a busy day as ever. Time to get to work, everyone!"

Kenshi and Riki nodded, leaving through the front. Takuto glanced at Rina with fixated gold eyes. He placed his left hand on the side of his face as he stared at the young woman.

"What are you going to do?" he asked. "You don't have a job on Earth, so how are you gonna provide for yourself?"

Rina only smiled at the dirty blond next to her. "I'll be working at Le Renard Noir, of course. Since Boss needs help around here, I'll be working at the bar for a while. Hiro also needs to take some time off to attend his classes, so let's cut him some slack until things settle down for him."

Watching Rina's dedicated friendship for him, Hiro could only smile after standing up. "Thanks, Rina. I owe a lot of things to you."

Rina also stood up and placed her right hand on her hip. "What? It's nothing to thank me for. You don't have to say something nice to me, Hiro. We've been friends since near the end of our second year, so it's what friends do for each other. Helping you out is basically a token of companionship. You don't really have to worry about it."

"Haha, I just can't help it," Hiro closed his eyes gleefully. "It takes some time and devotion to do something for another person." He opened his eyes and was still smiling happily. "I'm glad you offered to work in my place, Rina. Really. I could have kept working for Boss' sake, you know!"

Rina moved her right hand back and forth in a rapid movement. "No, no. I insist. I'm just working for free, though. There's no need for me to get paid."

"Pffft," Takuto snickered. "Like she even needs a job. Seeing as she's a magician, she doesn't _have_ to work as hard as any of us here to earn a lot of money. She's already pretty wealthy, so she's living a well-earned life for herself. Originating from a paradise-like world is lucky enough for her, Hiro. You and the Beard covered old man over there don't have to think of giving her a coin or paper bill for what she does here. She's got plenty of cash and coins for what she's worth."

Hiro frowned in disapproval. "Takkun, that's such a rude thing to say about Rina! You should know better than to treat girls—especially female magicians—that way! You two used to date back then, so you have to be nicer to her. You were never one to take a rough attitude towards Rina back then, so why are you being like this now? It just doesn't make any sense to me."

Takuto's temper was beginning to boil up. "Nice? Since when was I even nice to her in the first place? By the way, you shouldn't bring up someone else's past right in front of them. It's none of your business, Hiro."

Rina sighed, and her shoulders slumped, but her kind expression didn't change much. "Just let it go, Hiro. You don't have to do anything for me. I don't really mind what anyone says about me, so take it easy and try to relax a little. You're still tired, so I can understand a lack of sleep. You also drank yesterday and I know you also have a minor headache from it. It shows on your face in the morning, you know." She closed her eyes as though she were signaling for him to rest for a few hours.

Hiro pouted with uncertain emotions in his eyes. "But…"

Rina opened her eyes. "Come on. Just go upstairs and lie down until this afternoon. If you keep holding back, you'll eventually get bedridden with a fever. We wouldn't want you to get one all of a sudden, right?"

Hiro's shoulders moved down a bit, as he reluctantly gave in to Rina's advice. "Alright. I'll get some more sleep."

He turned around and lowered his head. In his mind, he couldn't help but feel some kind of concern for Rina and Takuto, while also thinking about the unknown young woman who was hoping to put the members of the Black Foxes behind the cold bars in the prison cells. It was still bothering him in many ways and he knew he had to get rid of the tingling feeling in his chest somehow. Unfortunately, he couldn't repel it away from his heart. It kept coming back with a stronger attachment while the day passed by without any luxury to him.

XXX

It was ten minutes past two p.m. that afternoon when Hiro was outside taking a stroll. He had work up fifteen minutes before the clock struck at two to get ready and was making his way towards a familiar place, one he knew for a few years. As he was nearing his destination, a female figured came into sight. He soon stopped almost in front of the place he was heading to and looked to his left. His gaze was fixed on a certain young girl who was around his and Rina's age. Inside, he saw Sayuri in her café uniform, working on orders for some customers. She wore her usual bright smile, which he loved more than anything whenever he saw her. Seeing her made his depressed expression soften, melting away the sad feeling that was on his face seconds ago. His eyes were filled with tenderness and things didn't seem as hurtful as they were hours before. A few seconds later, Sayuri noticed his stare and looked up. She smiled back, and Hiro stepped inside shortly after. It was only a bit more before Sayuri was on her break for the day, the time when they finally got to talk to one another with others looking at them enviously.

XXX

"You must have really wanted to see me to have been standing outside the café looking through the window, Hiro," Sayuri noted. "What's up? I sensed someone staring at me, and it turned out to be you."

Hiro smiled in a warmhearted manner. "It's nothing in particular, but… Well. There's been something on my mind since this morning. Think you can guess what it is?"

"You saw it, didn't you?" Sayuri asked. "The picture I sent you while you were asleep. You told me you wanted to see me in a cute uniform, so I had the owner of the café take it. He asked if I was trying to get you to date me. Of course, that's not it at all. You know he gets like that when it comes to the two of us. It becomes hard to get him off our case."

Hiro giggled. "I'm flattered you would agree to it. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about today. It's something else I really need to discuss with you."

Sayuri blinked, tilting her head to her left. "? What is it?"

"It has something to do with this morning's news report," Hiro answered. He frowned, showing his uncomfortable expression. "It's been really troubling me since I heard about it, so I'd like it if you'd let me indulge you about it."

Sayuri smiled, understanding what her friend meant. "Oh, that? I saw it, too. You're thinking about the person who's set on bring the Black Foxes to piece, right? Is it… a problem for you, Hiro?"

"Huh? No, not really." Hiro's eyes had widened when he heard the light orange-haired girl's words. "I mean, I'm a fan of the Black Foxes, so I really like the fact that they're kind of like Robin Hood in a way. If they were to get caught, I don't know what I'd do."

Sayuri closed her eyes and kept smiling. "Is that so? It's interesting to see that you're really into what they do. I don't really pay a lot of attention to them, though. I guess you're really a diehard fan, huh? Though, you actually seem like someone who would rather participate in what they do, rather than just stay and wait for something new about them, Hiro."

"Really?" Hiro inquired. Then, he pouted. "Do I seem to give off that sort of vibe, Sayuri?" His shoulders fell. "I thought I looked more like an ordinary guy who goes to an art college. It really comes to me as a shock when you put it that way."

Sayuri looked down and smiled sadly. "Ahaha, you know… If you were actually one of the Black Foxes, I think it might suit you to be part of their team. I don't really want to think of you that way, but you just seem to be into them right now that I can't help but think you'd rather join them instead of staying with me."

"Sayuri…?" Hiro frowned. He was beginning to worry for his friend. "Is something wrong? You don't seem like yourself today. If I did something to upset you, then I'm sorry for hurting your feelings."

Sayuri looked up with a puzzled expression. "? No, it's not like you would do anything to hurt me, Hiro. I was just thinking since you're a fan of the Black Foxes, you might like them more than me. We're friends, so I'd like to see you more often when you're not busy. It would make me lonely if you were to stop visiting the café to learn more about them, that's all."

Hiro opened his mouth to respond, but then, the manager turned on the TV, and another news report was heard. There was also a different male reporter from before.

"Lately, it seems there have been several breakouts where a card signed by the Black Foxes has been received by the wealthy art dealers who own different types of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and other rarities. However, this morning, a young woman who has started to bring criminals and offenders to the side of justice for the past few weeks or so, is currently trying to hunt down these so-called 'noble thieves.' Although she began her virtuous career not too long ago, an announcement from the police station these horrid felons are locked up in, was finally released with her permission. This outstanding young lady's actions have moved my heart, and I am rooting for her. Hopefully, she will be able to capture those wretched thieves from the uproars they have caused several years ago to the people of Ginza."

Hiro frowned after hearing the attacking statement about the Black Foxes. "It's not like they've caused enough trouble to start a mob or anything, so I don't think this guy understands the concept the Black Foxes have in mind. Don't you think so, Sayuri? They're not bad people from what I've heard about them, so I don't think they should be judged just because they steal for a purpose."

Sayuri had an intense stare. She wasn't looking at Hiro, but she was focused on the TV. "Hm. I don't know. I'd like it if they didn't steal from others, though. You see, I'm not actually fond of the Black Foxes because of what they do for a living. It makes me wish they wouldn't do anything against someone, even if the person they steal from is a bad person."

Seeing how much Sayuri felt towards the Black Foxes, Hiro could only gaze at the café worker with mixed feelings.

_Sayuri… _he thought. _Do you really hate us that much? Are you against us just because we try to steal artworks from people who have wrong intentions? If so, I don't know if I can properly tell you anything, or even apologize to you. I don't want you to hate me, but maybe you already do. I _did_ bring up the subject in the first place, so I can't blame you if you don't want to talk about it anymore. I just wanted you to hear me out._

With regret overflowing within him, Hiro could only look at Sayuri with sorrow. Nothing else was said between them, as Sayuri's heart and mind were focused on the report for the rest of the day. It felt as if they drifted away from one another, which seemed to have put a dent in their friendship. It wasn't the same as before, but Hiro was still worried for Sayuri, even after he left.

XXX

Everyone was gathered inside Le Renard Noir to start their mission. With their dark outfits, they were ready to commence it without any problems.

"Let's go and get back the cymophane, everyone," Atsumu smiled. He was also going with them and was excited about coming along for the ride. "This is a very important job for us to do, so let's get to it."

Riki and the others nodded. The six of them headed towards a large corporation and ran inside from the back doors successfully. Then, they searched around for the gemstone.

"Find anything yet?" Atsumu asked with stiffness.

Riki shook his head. "No, not yet. It should be around here somewhere." He spoke into his transceiver. "Takuto, did you pinpoint the location it's in?"

Takuto, who was already on the third floor with Rina and Hiro, replied back immediately. "It should be somewhere on the last floor. We're on our way there right now. Try to catch up with us."

"Seriously?!" Kenshi shouted. He was on the second floor. "That's the sixteenth floor. We'll have to use the elevator or staircase just to get up there without Rina's teleportation!"

Riki yelled, "Kenshi, don't complain. You're not even on the first floor with Boss right now, so get to it and go all the way up there!" Then, he turned off his transceiver and sighed. "Geez, this guy… He's a firefighter, so he's had some experience with this before. It's supposed to be a simple job for him."

Atsumu shrugged with a laidback smile. "You can't blame him now, can't you? He's probably exhausted from the countless amount of missions we went on this year. He'll get there soon enough. Don't worry too much, Riki."

"I know, I know," Riki answered as his shoulders dropped. "I'm tired myself. Anyway, we better catch up to them. I have a weird feeling something's going to happen tonight."

Atsumu laughed. "As expected of the leader of the Black Foxes! We might actually run into some trouble. Aha!"

"Hurry up!" Riki was already near the staircase. "We gotta get to where Takuto and the others are, so don't slow don't and pick up the pace!"

Realizing how held up he was from the mission, Atsumu hurriedly rushed over to the spot.

"Ah! Wait up!" he exclaimed, running after Riki, who was already ahead by twenty steps.

At that time, Rina, Hiro and Takuto were making a mad dash towards the top from the fifteenth floor.

"Do you think this is going to be okay?" Hiro asked with anxiety building up within his body. "We might run into another trap once we reach the room."

Rina panted a bit. "Even if we do, I'll think of something. Since Senpai's not here right now, we'll have to find an escape if we get caught."

Takuto coughed. "Ugh! These floors are really long! How long do these workers expect themselves to get all the way to the top of the building?!"

"No time to complain, Takuto," Rina reminded the hacker who was getting behind. "We have to find that cymophane before it gets into the wrong hands!"

Hiro nodded. "Rina's right. We can't lose it to the mafia or anyone else! We have to get to it first."

"I get what you two mean, but it's not easy for me to catch up to you two when you're nearly neck and neck with each other!" Takuto barked. He had quite an unpleasant expression on his face, but it was just a typical thing. "We're almost there, anyway, so try to give me a break from this after we get back."

Soon, they entered the sixteenth floor and found the cymophane rested on a display table in front of the main desk. It was circular and was beautiful like the moon with a bright golden yellow color. Rina was catching her breath, and Takuto finally caught up. Hiro stared at the jewel passionately as if something were pulling him towards it without creating any movement.

"Looks like it's real," he said, "but we can't exactly be sure of it. What do you think, Rina?"

Rina nodded cautiously. "Yeah. It's the actual thing. I can feel it's aura."

"Then, let's just grab it and get out of here so we can finally rest for the day," Takuto stated. "We have to finish the mission."

"Wait," Hiro advised. "We can't just take it, can we? We have to make sure it's safe to take."

Keeping his cool, Takuto answered nonchalantly. "Don't worry. I check it just now. There aren't any booby traps or sensors around it. Plus, the security system's not that great, so we can get it back to the bar. Touching it won't trigger anything, Hiro."

As they were speaking, Rina had already walked forward and took the cymophane with her right hand. She made it back to the two of them, who noticed and looked at her with surprise.

"That was fast," Takuto responded, returning to his usual monotone voice. "Let's go. I'll report to Riki and the others."

"Right," Rina followed after Takuto and Hiro, and they made their way to the roof.

Takuto turned on his transceiver and contacted Riki. "We got it. We're almost on the roof, so just meet us there and let's leave."

Riki smiled from where he was. "Got it. We're almost where you guys are, so I'll get Boss and see you soon."

"Roger that," Takuto replied, turning his transceiver off.

The three of them walked up to the roof and Hiro opened the door, closing it behind Rina. He let it open a little for Riki, Atsumu and Kenshi, who were still running upstairs.

Without warning, Hiro sighed. "Phew! That was easier than I thought it'd be. A bit of running wasn't so bad, right, Takkun?" He beamed at the dirty blond with his casualness.

Takuto frowned with a stoic expression. "Like it was a good thing for my sides. They're still in pain, you know."

"It's not going to hurt that much, Takuto," Rina assured her previous lover. "You'll get used to it when you're out more on these missions. You mostly keep inside from a distance, so you're cooped up in the back of the van, or you stay in Le Renard Noir to help out. You should come along more often to restore your physique."

Takuto narrowed his eyes, while his expression remained the same for the most part. "I didn't have much of a choice. We couldn't bring the van, either, so we had to get here on foot."

"But man, it's really hot," Hiro fanned himself with his right hand. "It's not even summer yet. We're still in March right now."

Takuto was still standing with Rina as he looked at Hiro. "We're almost nearing April. I can't disagree with you, but we'll have to bear it this year. We'll also have to turn the cooler on higher when we get back, so let's wait until they get here."

Hiro nodded. "Yeah. I'm also pretty hungry right now, but I guess it can wait." He stood up and held the cymophane. "This is like an orb filled with an untapped potential. It's making my heart race just by looking at it."

"I don't have that feeling right now," Rina commented informally. "It's not something related to my world, so I don't sense something from it that could make me heart pound."

Takuto glanced at Rina. "They're taking their time. At any rate, we should hurry back with it soon. I don't want to stay here much longer."

Suddenly, a figure appeared on the top of the building in front of the one the three of them were standing on.

"I don't think so," the person said. It was definitely a female voice. "That crystal belongs to someone I know. I can't let you dirty thieves handle it and take it back to where you came from. I'll be taking it with me and turning you all in once you other members run to meet up with you three."

Takuto's eyes widened. "What?"

Out from the midst of the shadows, the moon shone on the young woman standing on the other side. She was wearing a red blazer with a white dress shirt underneath and a pair of brown paints, along with a pair of white high heels. She also stood there confidently with a smile and had long, orange hair that reached the middle of her thighs, and had emerald green eyes.

"You can't have the cymophane, so just hand it over to someone who works on the side of justice and let yourselves repent for what you've done, Black Foxes," she demanded with a firm tone of voice. "I'm turning you over to the police whether you like it or not."

Takuto's anger flared up when he heard those words. "Who in their right minds would just go over to someone and have themselves get arrested by the likes of you?! Unlike an old sap who feels guilty for what he's done, we're not the kind of people who would do something like that!"

"Is that so?" the orange-haired young woman questioned. Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. "I knew you were much more clever than the average robber, but I guess you leave me no choice. I'll have to come over there myself and capture you without fail."

Rina had been staring at the girl standing in front of their view and looked closely. "Don't tell me that person is…"

Hiro looked at Rina and blinked. "? Did you say something just now?"

Rina's shoulders slumped. Without answering Hiro's question, she stepped forward. "…! I knew it. So it _was_ you, after all. Am I right, Sayuri?"

"Huh?" Hiro immediately turned his head, facing the orange-haired girl. "…Sayuri?"

Sayuri glanced at Rina with realization in her eyes. "Rina? What are you doing over there? You shouldn't be with—" She caught herself, now understanding the situation. "Don't tell me you're part of the Black Foxes."

"I didn't expect you would be the one after us," Rina sighed. "But this is quite a surprise to see you here in Ginza. Why don't you let us off the hook for now? If we give you the cymophane, you'll do that, right?"

Takuto quickly shot Rina an angry glance. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?! We can't just give away the gemstone to someone who's after us!"

Without looking at Takuto, Rina continued. "I know it's important to you, Sayuri. That's why I'm offering you a chance to get it back. You said yourself that it belonged to someone you knew. However, this is the only time I'm giving you the opportunity to take it in exchange for letting us escape. What will you say now that we have the cymophane in our hands?"

Sayuri hesitated. "…" She knew there was no way she could win against Rina. She let out a sigh. "…Fine. If I let you and your friends go, will you give it to me? I didn't think you of all people would be a member of that band of thieves, Rina. But I'll make an exception if you hand over the crystal."

Rina turned her head to her left and looked at Hiro. "Listen, Hiro. I need you give the cymophane to me. Do you understand?"

Hiro looked down and nodded, giving the gemstone to Rina, who took it gently and tosses it over to Sayuri.

"There you have it," Rina smiled. "It's all yours now, so you should go and give it back to whoever owns it."

Sayuri glanced at Rina, holding the cymophane in her left hand. She turned her head towards her right and said, "…Are you Hiro…?"

When he heard his name, Hiro looked up, and his eyes met Sayuri's. He relaxed a bit and nodded. "Yeah. Are you really the same Sayuri I know from the café?"

Seeing how confused Hiro was, Sayuri smiled. "Of course I am. But I'll have to leave now that you found out my identity. It was nice seeing you two." She turned around and held her right hand up. "Later. I don't know if we can think of each other as friends now, but I can only say that we're enemies now. Thanks for everything you've done for me, Hiro." With that, she took a step forward and vanished, leaving the three of them to look at where she was.

Riki, Kenshi and Atsumu soon came to the rooftop, and Rina explained the situation to them. They left shortly afterwards and went back to Le Renard Noir. Hiro wasn't sure what to say with the stinging pain returning and hitting his heart. To think the girl he met almost a month ago to be his foe was difficult to withstand and it was quite a shock, as well.

He lowered his eyes and let his shoulders fall.

_Why did this have to happen? _He thought to himself. _My best friend is now my enemy, so what I can even say to Sayuri the next time I see her? This sucks… We were getting along so well, but then things just changed between us. I don't think she'll forgive me for going behind her back and being a member of the Black Foxes. I should have said something about it sooner. This is all my fault._

He sighed, becoming even _more_ depressed than he had ever been in all his life.

The others looked at him with concern.

"Hiro's barely hanging in there, isn't he?" Riki frowned.

Kenshi nodded. "Yeah. I just can't believe one of his friends is actually our enemy. It's just not right…!"

"You can't always do what you want and not expect something to backfire," Takuto said nonchalantly. "Things like that will happen more than once in a lifetime, so it's better to go through it and make a comeback later on. Hiro will be able to get back on his feet when he finds a resolution before we know it."

Kenshi's mouth dropped opened. "Wow, I didn't think Takuto could say something like that."

"I know," Riki agreed. "This is such a rare occurrence. It's like he's changed all of a sudden."

Atsumu chuckled. "Maybe he has. He's not even getting angry right now, so it's a possibility."

Rina looked at the surface of the counter. "Hiro probably wouldn't have to go through this if I had told Sayuri about my part in the Black Foxes before she came here. I overlooked the fact she would have a high moral value towards stealing."

"It's not your fault," Takuto answered in a calm manner. "You didn't know things would turn out this way, so don't take the blame for yourself. If anyone's at fault here, it's the old man for indirectly using his sexual harassment jokes on Hiro in the first place. He's the one who said he wanted to meet your friend, so we can make him pay for breaking Hiro."

Rina looked at Takuto, who was on her left, and smiled softly. "Thanks, Takuto."

Takuto nodded. "Anyone would know right away that Beardy was being a bad example for everyone. It's normal to blame him for stuff like this."

"Hey!" Atsumu cried out. "I'm not _that_ bad of a guy, am I? I mean, yeah, I'm older than you all, and I run the bar, but that doesn't make me a terrible person, does it?"

"I don't know," Takuto began his retort with his stoic voice, "but it sure sounds like it. You even admitted that you were old again, so it should make much of a difference since you said so."

Atsumu looked away, tears forming in his eyes. While he wiped them away with a cloth, everyone else but Hiro laughed, savoring the comical feeling of seeing his "hurt" expression.


	4. Episode 4

Waiting for You

The next night, Hiro was at home. He was still depressed over what had happened the night before as he sat on the couch in his room. His hands were clasped together on his thighs and he looked down, staring into space for what seemed to be a while. At least, just before his younger twin sister Seiko barged in.

"Hiro!" she exclaimed with force. "Are you in here?!"

Hiro looked up and turned around. After that, he blinked. "? Seiko? What's up?"

Seiko frowned with an angered expression. "Don't 'What's up?' me! I'm here to get something from you, remember? You promised you'd have the pumpkin pudding ready, so I came in here to get it!"

Hiro eyes widened faintly once he realized what his sister was in his room for. "Oh. Okay, uh…" He trailed off, placing his right hand on the side of his head. "It's in the fridge. Did you want me to bring it over to you?"

Seiko's eyes narrowed in discontent at her older brother's tone of voice and expression. "Get a grip, Hiro! Don't you even know your twin's feelings about this right now? You're not usually _like_ this! What's _wrong_ with you tonight, anyway?" He face relaxed a bit, and she frowned. "You'd be more upbeat than this, but it's not showing anywhere around you at all. Did something happen?"

Seiko's concern for him caused Hiro to acknowledge his gloomy vibe. His shoulders slumped and he also gave a frown of his own.

"Sorry, Seiko," he apologized. "I know I'm not myself at the moment, but there's been a lot going on since yesterday. I can't just get things out of my head all of a sudden." Hiro sighed. "What's wrong with me? I'm not even sure what's happening anymore."

Seiko had a sad look on her face. "Hiro…"

_So that's why he's acting this way? _Seiko thought. She felt a twinge of pain in her chest, and it was aching so much it was too unbearable for her to endure. _Hiro… Can't you even depend on me at a time like this? We're family, so it's okay to let it all out. But if you don't, it'll only make things worse between us, along with everyone else. So please… Think of me as a person you can cry in front of without holding back. I won't be able to do anything for you if you can't tell me about your feelings._

At that second, Hiro smiled sadly while looking down. "I'm, pathetic, aren't I?" Those words made Seiko's eyes widen. "I can't even say anything in front of anyone about this, but I'm sure the guys all know since we're always together. Even Rina knows about it, but we never thought things would turn out this way for us. Why… did it have to come to this? Just tell me why…" He looked up in anguish, which displayed all his sorrow. "Isn't there a way I can solve this without getting the others involved? Can I really do nothing to put things back in place, Seiko?" Tears began to form in his eyes. Shortly afterward, they dripped down, landing on his hands and pants. "It hurts so much. It really does. My best friend… Things suddenly took a turn for worse between us yesterday and it's all my fault for not being honest with her. If I had only told her more about myself, Sayuri wouldn't have—"

Seiko was facing the floor and her entire body shook with many emotions welling inside. She felt she had to do something about Hiro's current state, and that she was going to. She hastily looked up with a furious look on her face. "Stop it, Hiro! Quit blaming yourself for everything and just suck it up!"

Hiro looked up with surprise. He had never seen his sister this angry at him before. "…Seiko?"

"Don't you even know how much everyone around you feels when you're like this?!" Seiko continued to argue. "You get so depressed without consulting anyone that it drives me insane to watch you, Hiro! You need to learn how to rely on someone for a change and face your problems, instead of sulking all the time! Why don't you tell me or your friends how you really feel about this?" She sighed, letting her shoulders drop after lowering her voice by an octave. "You're not alone, you know. I'm here with you, right? You can tell me about it, but don't force yourself to do so if you're not ready. We're twins, so we should know everything about each other that regular siblings don't. Even if you refuse to let me know about this, I'll always stick with you. You're my big brother, after all. No one could replace you or me no matter what happens."

"Seiko…" Hiro understood the love Seiko was always showering him with due to the fact they were family, an unconditional truth that could not be altered in one way or another.

Seiko's expression took another switch, becoming a disapproving frown while blushing. "I mean, I know you like her and all, but you can always spoil me every now and then. I'm the baby of our family, so it wouldn't hurt to be treated like I was before you met her. To be honest with you, I don't actually hold anything against Sayuri. From what you've told me so far, I'd really like to meet her soon. She _is_ someone important to you, so she's important to me, as well. Don't forget that, you hear me?"

She sauntered over to the refrigerator and opened it, grabbing the box of pudding with her left hand before closing it. Then, she hurriedly rushed back to her room, shutting Hiro's door behind her. Hiro blinked, mystified at what had just happened.

Well, _that_ was weird," he said to himself. "I got told off by my own sister." He laughed. "I can't believe it! Seiko actually yelled at me. But," his expression softened, and a warm smile appeared on his face, "I'm glad she did. I never would have thought something like this would happen, but I'm lucky to have her around." He closed his eyes. "Thanks, Seiko. I owe you a lot of things that won't be paid completely. It's only a little, but at least I can do something for you when the time comes. I promise I'll try to help you out one day."

It was evident Hiro was grateful for Seiko's assertive push moments ago. He felt relieved of the pain which stormed around his heart earlier. A few seconds later, his cell phone began to vibrate and Hiro opened his eyes, taking a glimpse at the caller ID that showed up. Apparently, the call was from Takuto.

"Takkun?" Hiro asked in a somewhat confused manner. "What could he possibly be calling me for at this time of night?" He slowly reached his hand towards the purple device and took hold of it. Then, he flipped his phone open and placed it near his ear. "Takkun? What's up?" he smiled casually. "I wasn't expecting you to call me at this hour. It's only nine-twenty-seven right now. Did you need something? Or, did you want to hear my voice before you fall asleep?" Hiro inquired seductively, narrowing his eyes with a playful grin.

On the other end of the call, Takuto made a quick sickened face. "Ew! No way in hell I would ever call you for that, idiot! Did you get wasted or what?!" He calmed himself down, returning to his detached expression before Hiro picked up. "Anyway, you've been down in the dumps lately, so I was thinking maybe you'd want to go visit your detective friend together tomorrow or something. You know, to keep your spirits up."

"Huh?" Hiro's eyes widened. "You're asking me to see Sayuri together with you?"

Takuto nodded on his side. "That's what I'm sayin'. Do you want to come with me or not? We don't really have to if you still feel bad about what happened yesterday. I just thought you'd like to talk things out with her, despite the fact that she's still our enemy. She seems like someone you would rather see than the rest of us right now. So, what's your answer?"

Hiro knew that Takuto was trying to do something for him in his own way. It was a little surprising, sure, but it was it was probably the most wonderful thing Takuto could ever do for him, seeing as how he isn't _absolutely_ the same person from back then. Nonetheless, Hiro understood that kindness that didn't change all the way. It still left a loving warmth in his chest.

Hiro closed his eyes happily.

_Takkun… You're still there, _he thought. _Thank goodness you're not saying anything terrible this time._

Hiro could feel tears running down his cheeks. He realized how much he missed Takuto's old self.

_If only things could go back to how they were before you two broke up, _he resumed. _Things wouldn't have to be like this. You'd still be…_

Right then and there, Hiro was interrupted from his mindset.

"Hello? Hiro?" Takuto called out. "Are you still there? If you're not, I'm hanging up."

Hiro swiftly opened his eyes in a panic. "W-Wait! Don't hang up yet! I'll go with you tomorrow!"

"Guess you made up your mind, huh?" Takuto acknowledged. "Then, we'll meet up at your place at nine. Got that?"

Hiro nodded cheerfully. "Yeah. I hope Sayuri's going to be there. Thanks, Takkun."

Takuto blushed. He was becoming more flustered with his friends' gratitude towards him. "I-It's not like I wanted to help you repair your friendship with her, okay?! First Riki thanks me, and now you do the same thing, Hiro. What's gotten into you guys lately?! Geez…" He looked down a bit and felt the heat rising from his embarrassment. "It's like all I've been getting from you two are compliments for saying a few things. You don't need to do that for me. I'm…" Takuto's eyes lower as though he were going into a miserable state of mind himself. "I don't even deserve something like that for what I've done…"

"Takkun…? What's the matter?" Hiro asked with bewilderment. "You haven't spoken like this since…"

Hiro feel silent, pondering about Takuto.

_…since the break-up, _he thought. _Takkun… I'm sorry I couldn't do anything for you until now. I've always wanted to help you and Rina out, but it looks like there haven't been any improvements in your relationship this time. I really hope things will go well for you two. I never wanted to see you guys in so much pain, so why can't we just go back to when everyone was happy? I don't like how things are now! I just want you to be able to make amends for what happened. That's all there is to it, Takkun._

Without any hesitation that time, Hiro shook his head and force himself to smile, looking back up.

"Ehe!" he laughed joyfully. "Oh, Takkun. You don't understand how much we love you. It's because you've supported us and brought Rikkun and I back on our feet. Don't you know that? We're only trying to show our appreciation, you know! That's why you've gotten a thank you from the both of us!"

"Hmm." Takuto was back to being indifferent to everything. "Well. You don't have to go that far. I can keep at it without any worries, so… Thanks, I guess. Everyone's been taking care of me for a long time now. It actually made me happy to see you stick with me since we were kids."

Hiro's lips curled up into a smile. "What do you mean? We could never abandon you, Takkun! You're a part of our group, so don't think you don't belong with us or anything. We'd rather have you around, and we all think of you as an irreplaceable friend. The same goes for Rina, right? Try not to ignore her and let her be with us, too. She's also important to all of us, including you. Hehe!" He made a cat smirk and closed his eyes. "I know you've been thinking about her every night. You always make it so obvious for everyone to figure out. Are you thinking about dating her again~?"

Hiro had found the perfect opportunity to tease Takuto, which got on the dirty blond's nerves soon enough.

"Huh?!" Takuto shouted. "You trying to pick a fight with me, Hiro? I'm not the kind of guy who dumps a girl just so he can get back together with her again! And I keep trying to tell you all that's not even the case. Get your facts straight or I'll shut you in a closet when I find one! You'll be regretting your words by then. Anyway, just so you know, I don't even have any feelings for her. That's why I broke up with her. Understand?! Now, leave her out of it and get ready for tomorrow. I'm picking you up first thing in the morning, got it?!"

He hung up, which left Hiro perplexed at his actions. The art student pouted shortly afterwards.

"Oh, Takkun…" He said, a little sad and more worried about what happened. "Can't you just be honest with your feelings for a change? It's not like we're trying to pick on you that much. We all want to let you know how we feel and that we care for you in our own way. You're too hard on yourself. Try to lighten up a little." He closed his cell phone and sighed, leaning forward a bit from his seat. Then, he smiled tenderly. "But, I guess that's another part of you we like to see. Thanks for letting us push your buttons, Takuto." He laid down on the couch, resting on his left side. A recently familiar face popped into his mind, one from the night before. "Sayuri… I want to talk with you so much right now. My chest hurts from wanting to see you again. I didn't think you had another appearance than the one I saw in the café, but you looked so different I could hardly even recognize you. Am I… still your friend? I have a lot to ask you, but I don't think I'll be able to at this point. We're not comrades, but enemies. Maybe I should have expected that from the start. If I had known more about you, would this have been prevented?" Hiro lazily frowned. "Sayuri, are you thinking about me right now? Even if you aren't, I'm still thinking about you. Please let me see you once more. Sa…yu…"

As he was saying Sayuri's name, Hiro feel asleep. The drowsy feeling he felt when he lied down finally caught up to him, since he tired himself out. He had such a peaceful expression on his face, but it was also showing how lonely he felt. Yet, the remainder of the night passed by in to the early hours of morning, until it was dawn and the sun rose up from the sky.

XXX

A few hours later, Takuto was in front of Hiro's house. He rang the doorbell with a press of his right index finger and waited for an answer. Within seconds, Hiro opened the door and was smiling lightly as he always did.

"Let's go," the programmer beckoned.

Seeing a wave from Takuto's hand, Hiro nodded. "Yeah."

The two of them made their way to the café Sayuri had been working at for a few weeks now. Unfortunately, it was closed for the day, but there was still a bit of hope for them. From the outside, they saw the manager/owner of the café cleaning the glass which held the parfaits served there. He quickly gained notice of Hiro and Takuto's presences and looked up, seeing them waiting outside the window. Then, he stopped what he was doing and put away the glass in his hand, walking over to the door and letting them in.

With a gentle smile, he said, "My, it's good to see you again, Hiro. Have you been faring well again?"

Hiro smiled back. "Of course. How are things going, Manager? It looks like you've closed up shop for today."

The older man kept smiling when he closed his eyes. "Yes, I've been doing fine as always. I'm also closed for the day because I'm going to be expanding the café soon." He opened his eyes and continued to speak. "Someone has been giving out large sums of money to the people in this area for quite some time now, so many shops and restaurants have had a splendid business boom beginning from the last month. It makes all the residents who have received this profit happy, and I am, as well. I'm also going to make new uniforms for the employees here and add something special to them."

Hiro's eyes widened slightly. "Oh? What are you going to put on them?" He smiled warmly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to see the design you've come up with."

The manager chuckled fondly. "It's nice to hear your support. However, I'll tell you after you two eat. I see you also brought a friend with you, so please make yourselves comfortable. If there's anything you'd like me to prepare, I'll gladly accept your orders."

"Well we haven't really eaten yet, so do you think we can have breakfast here?" Hiro asked politely.

The manager gave a nod. "Certainly. I hope the young man with you enjoys the food."

"I'm positive Takkun will, Sir," Hiro replied. "Whatever's on the menu is the best I've ever eaten in my life, along with the food from Le Renard Noir. Your homemade cooking is what brightens my day."

Takuto pulled an angry face. "H-Hey! Don't call me that in front of someone else! I'm not as familiar with this place as you are, Hiro. This is the first time I've ever been here and I'd rather eat Riki's miso soup right now, instead of some sweet stuff."

"Takkun, that's not a very nice thing to say," Hiro frowned. "You know we aren't with Boss and the others right now, so there's no way we could eat Riki's cooking until later."

Takuto looked down with a gloomy expression. "Tch. You really know how to toss my feelings aside, don't you?" He looked up with yet another nonchalant expression after that. "Whatever. I'm hungry, so I'll have whatever the owner of this café makes for us. You said so yourself we could eat here."

The manager laughed delicately. "It looks like you have quite a unique friend there, Hiro. I hope he'll stick around for a while. I wouldn't want to disappoint him with my cooking."

"Don't worry," Hiro guaranteed the manager. "Takkun's a good person, so don't mind his harsh tongue. He just has a hard time telling people how he really feels."

The manager's expression softened. "Is that so? I wonder if he would gladly work here. He seems like a promising young man, after all. I'm sure the rest of my staff would welcome him in an instant."

"I'm sorry to tell you this," Hiro broke the news, "but Takkun already has a job. He works for an IT company and is a successful programmer there. He's really intelligent as well, and can do more than the average person in an hour."

The manager's eyes widened in surprised when he heard Hiro's proclamations. "My! How incredible, Hiro. I didn't know you had such a magnificent friend who was so talented." He was impressed with how the art student stated the facts about Takuto and felt a genuine sense of awe for the twenty-four-year-old. "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have asked about permitting him work here. This is a small café, so there isn't really much I can offer. Please accept my most sincere apology." He gave a bow with his head and closed his eyes.

"It's fine," Takuto said, trying to keep himself calm. "I'm just interested in the food right now."

"That's not what you said before," Hiro whispered in Takuto's right ear.

Takuto frowned angrily once more, whispering back. "Idiot! I told you I didn't want any sweets right now. Stuff like ice cream and parfaits are for later on after you've digested your morning meal. I thought that was obvious to you, Hiro."

Hiro nodded, understanding what Takuto meant. "Oh, I see!" His expression softened. "You're such a genius, Takkun. I'm a little jealous you would think about the types of food that fit the day. It makes me want to be like you sometimes."

"Now's not the time for that."

Their whispering continued, which puzzled the manager a bit. However, he liked how the two were close with each other and couldn't help but smile admirably when he saw them going back and forth with their words.

XXX

After Hiro and Takuto had eaten their breakfast for the day, Hiro began discussing what was on his mind with the manager, while Takuto was basically acting as a bystander.

"So, there's something I wanted to talk to you about," Hiro announced with a serious expression on his face. "It's something I've been thinking about, but it's also—"

The manager smiled softly, lowering his eyes. "I'm sure I know who you're talking about. It's Sayuri, isn't it?"

Hiro blinked, astonished by the interpretation. "Huh? How'd you know?"

The manager only kept smiling. "Whenever you come to visit, you would always see if Sayuri is around. It would make her happy because you're her only true friend at the café. During her shifts, she would speak with a polite manner to the other workers I have. Every person I have seen her interact with has been spoken to with courtesy, even myself. Seeing you two together made me realize that she could only trust you and no one else with all her heart. Hiro, you were the one who was able to warm Sayuri's entire being just by talking with her and promising to see her as much as you could. Even the staff are envious of you for doing that."

"Oh no, I don't really deserve to get any credit from this," Hiro brushed off. "I just… wanted to see her again. Sayuri's an important friend I'll never be able to forget, and she's also someone I would trust my whole life to. But I guess she might not want to see me right now."

Takuto glanced at Hiro. "Isn't Rina your friend, too?" He frowned unhappily and was as grouchy as anyone would expect from him. "Are all your best friends _girls_, Hiro? I thought Rina was your only best friend."

"Well, yeah, Rina's one of my best friends, but…" Hiro trailed off, surprised by Takuto's words. "Sayuri is one as well." He was still shocked at that moment. "What's gotten in to you, Takkun? To suddenly bring Rina in to this even though she's not here right now. It's as if you want her to be part of this."

"It's nothing to be surprised about," Takuto commented. "I just thought you'd also want to mention her since you both know this girl. That's all there is to it."

Hiro blinked twice as though he didn't understand anything and tilted his head to his right. "…?"

The manager smiled at them before looking down with sadness in his eyes. "Sayuri… When she first came here, she didn't really interact with others very much due to her insecurity towards the people in this city. I first saw her when I looked out the window of the café. She was looking around like a lost young pup and didn't seem to know where to go. I decided to speak to her after that and I even welcomed her inside. She was very cautious of everyone, including me. Nevertheless, I offered her a job and a room to stay in. It was only after you came to the café that she could find herself at ease with others. I still remember that day." The manager chuckled affectionately, thinking back to over a month ago.

_Friday February 28, 2007_

_ It was another spring day in Ginza. The manager was inside, cleaning and wiping some of the glass bowls as usual and was humming happily to himself. He looked up and saw something outside the window. However, it wasn't an object, but a person standing outside. A girl with very light and long orange hair that reached past her waist was looking around, turning her head left and right every second. She was a pretty and didn't seem to be familiar with the area, so he stopped what he was doing and walked outside to talk to the girl._

_ "Is something wrong, Miss?" the manager asked._

_ Hearing his voice, the girl looked up quickly. "…!" She regained her complexion, a stern look on her face. "…"_

_ "I'm not going to harm you," the manager smiled. "If you'd like, I can treat you to something to eat." He glanced at the café. "I own this café, and I'm still hiring young people like yourself to help out. Would you care to go inside?"_

_ The girl cautiously stared at the manager for a moment before giving a small nod. Shortly afterward, the manager patiently guided her to the café and they were soon facing one another at a table._

_ "…" The girl was obviously not in the mood to talk, as she was on her guard towards any strangers._

_ The manager felt nervous, but he was able to bring himself to start another conversation. "Er… Well… It's nice to meet you. Can you tell me about yourself? I don't mean to pry, but I don't know anything about you, and I'm sure you don't know anything about me, either. We did meet a few minutes ago, after all."_

_ "…Sayuri," the girl said softly when she lowered her head. It was barely audible, but she definitely spoke._

_ The manager tilted his head. "? Did you say something, young lady?"_

_ The girl looked up and faced the manager. "Sayuri Mitsuyoshi. That's my name. I'm twenty-one years old as of today. I can't tell you much about myself, but that's all I can really say, so… Anyway, it's… nice to meet you, too."_

_ The manager could not believe his ears and eyes. The young girl sitting across from him—Sayuri—had actually said something to him._

_ "Do you have a place to stay, or even a job, Miss Mitsuyoshi?" he inquired. "If not, I can provide you with both. You can work here and there's also a room for you to stay in upstairs."_

_ Sayuri gazed at the manager with her beautiful agate eyes and blinked, curious of the middle-aged man's kindness. "No, but… Why are you doing this? I don't even know the reason you would even let me stay here, so it baffles one such as myself what your intentions are. What is your purpose for doing this?"_

_ The manager smiled gently. "I'm just an old man who wants to look out for those in need. It might not be much, but this is the least I can do." He looked towards the interior of the café and continued the chat. "As you can see here, this café is made out of wood from several years ago. Although it shines, it can only support itself for a little longer. What's more is that it doesn't give way and stays strong for the sake of allowing me to run my café and bringing joy to others. So, I wish to make everyone here happy and give them a warm sensation with love and care before I pass on to the other world." He laughed. "It might sound strange coming from someone who's in their late thirties, but it's what I want to accomplish for others who come here with their family and friends."_

_ "You're right," Sayuri remarked. "It does sound strange. But… You seem like a good man, so I'll try to help you fulfill that goal of yours for the time being, if you will permit me to do so."_

_ The manager's eyes widened. "You mean to say you will actually accept my offer?"_

_ Sayuri nodded with a faint smile. "Yes. I'm not sure if I can do a very good job, but it's a sign of my gratitude. Thank you for having me over."_

_ Not much was said from Sayuri, but her words made the manager very happy. He showed her around the café, gave her a bright pink uniform that dazzled those who say her in it, and took her to her room. He also helped her with taking orders, and Sayuri understood with swiftness and understanding._

_XXX_

_ A couple days passed and it was March 2__nd__ that year. While Sayuri was getting ready to work at the café, a young man around her age walked in._

_ "Oh? It looks like we have a well-acquainted customer," the manager distinguished. "If it isn't Hiro. Are you here for another sundae from the menu?"_

_ Hiro smiled lightly. "Of course I am. I just love them, Manager!" He had a jubilant expression on his face before he noticed someone hiding behind the manager, and that person was clearly visible. "Huh? There's someone I've never seen before near you. Is she a new member of your staff?"_

_ "Yes," the manager confirmed. "She just joined two days ago. Allow me to introduce her." He glanced to his right and nodded. "It's okay, Sayuri. Hiro's a regular of ours." Sayuri immediately knew the manager was correct and showed herself to Hiro, giving a slight distance from her employer. Then, the manager said, "This is Sayuri Mitsuyoshi. She's a few weeks older than you, Hiro. Please be kind to her. She's not used to everyone working here, yet, but she's a marvelous young lady, I can promise you without any doubt."_

_ Hiro nodded and looked at Sayuri with another smile. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Hiro Sarashina. As Manager just said, I'm not the same age as you yet, so I'm still twenty right now. If you don't mind, I'll keep coming back here to see you. We can be friends, so you don't have to worry about anything. By the way, I'm also an art student at one of the universities here, so I'm not too far away. Would you like to see some of my drawings some day?"_

_ Sayuri nodded back and a smile appeared on her face. She walked over to Hiro and took hold of both his hands with her own, entwining their fingers together. "I want to see you again, so come and visit often like you said, okay? I'll be waiting for you, Hiro."_

_ It as a sight that took the manager, employees, and even Hiro by surprise. But then, Hiro smiled back. It was a splendid friendship that formed between the two of them, one that was full of promises and approbation, changing the atmosphere in the café for everyone around them._

XXX

The manager smiled and looked at Hiro. "It was an unbelievable occurrence that you would make her smile so wonderfully when you two met. Sayuri allowed you into her world in an instant, and everyone felt an admiration for you, Hiro. She was very happy to see you and it seemed like you were a light in the center of her eyes." He looked out the window and kept smiling. "I felt as though Sayuri was hiding something from me that she couldn't reveal to anyone. Perhaps it would be better not to ask her about herself, but it does make a man like myself isolated from her. There was always something I wanted to know, yet I never pried into her life. She always seemed far away from everyone, but a few mornings ago, I felt closer to her than I had ever been." He stood up and walked to his room on the first floor.

A few seconds passed, and he came back with a medium-sized object in his left hand. Takuto's eyes widened when he saw what it was.

"Hiro, look!" he exclaimed in a hushed tone.

Hiro did as Takuto ordered and glanced toward their left before replying in the same manner. "…! I can't believe it! It's the—"

Takuto nodded. "Yeah. So it belonged to _him_."

The manager had brought out the cymophane from before, shocking the two of them. He kept smiling by the time he returned to his seat and placed it on the table.

"This was something I lost shortly after I started this café," the manager mentioned. "Somehow, Sayuri managed to get it for me. She said someone gave it to her as a gift, so I truly appreciated the fact that I got this back. To be honest, I didn't think I would ever get this back. I don't know how, but it's finally been returned to me after so long. I was considering a way to repay Sayuri and my staff with this, so a notion came to mind yesterday. It came to me in a blink of an eye, and I knew I had to put a piece of this on each of their new uniforms as a thank you gift."

Hiro understood straight away and smiled tenderly at the manager. "I see."

_So that's why Sayuri was intent on getting it, _he thought. _It makes sense now. It was probably stolen from Manager and ended up in the building for a wicked purpose, which was why she came to reclaim it._

"There's one thing left for me to tell you about Sayuri, Hiro," the manager resumed his speech. He looked at Hiro sadly, but kept smiling. "She's going to leave the café this afternoon."

Hiro's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Hiro's girlfriend is going to leave?!" Takuto jested.

Hiro hurriedly looked at Takuto with a disgruntlement frown. "Takkun!"

Takuto's stoic expression was back. "Sorry. Just thought I'd liven up the circumstances." Then, he confronted the manager. "Where is she right now? We might still have a chance at finding her."

"Well," the manager started, "she left a note telling about her plans for the day." He took out a sheet of paper and placed it on the table in front of Hiro and Takuto. After that, he let out a sigh. "I believe it's better if you read it yourself." He picked up the crystal and held it in his hands. "For me, what's left of her memory is this cymophane, which I had anticipated never to see again. But because of Sayuri, I was able to get it back after so long." He smiled at the two young men, saying his parting words to them and Sayuri [indirectly]. "I'm glad to have met her, and I hope she lives a happy life from now on." He closed his eyes and tears ran down his cheeks.

Hiro and Takuto saw his expression before speedily taking a look at the piece of paper Sayuri left, which read:

Owner,

Right now, I am writing to you to say my farewell. Are

you wondering how I'm feeling at this moment? Please do

not think of something sad. I am actually smiling while

writing this letter. Do you know the reason for this?

It's because I was able to have a temporary home to

live in, as well as a job for myself, which led me

to meet Hiro. Thank you so much for what you've

done for me since my twenty-first birthday. I will

never forget how kind you were to me. I wonder if

it was fate that brought me to meet you two

shortly after my arrival here. Haha, that

actually sounds pretty cheesy, coming from

someone like me. However, I don't regret

writing this letter, nor do I regret our

first meeting. Tomorrow afternoon, I will

be at the park waiting for Hiro. If he

decides to see me, I will keep waiting for

him. I'd like to talk with him one last

time before severing ties with him.

Please do not question my motives.

This is something I have decided

To do, and it's part of my

duty in this world.

Thank you and

Please take

care.

—Sayuri

After reading the letter Sayuri left for the manager, Hiro and Takuto glanced at each other and nodded. They stood up from their seats and looked at the manager for one last time.

"Thank you for letting us see this, Manager," Hiro said with a grim expression. "It's about time for us to say goodbye. I'm glad to have come to this café, and I know Sayuri has, too." He smiled and lowered his eyes tenderly. "I know this was very sudden for you and everyone else who've worked here, but I'm grateful to you and your staff. Thank you, for introducing Sayuri to me when I came in that day. I won't forget the opportunity the two of us received thanks to you for helping her out, and I wish you a good life."

The manager nodded. "Of course. It was nice having you as a customer, Hiro. Go and find Sayuri before dusk. I'm sure she's still there waiting for you and your friend."

"Right."

Hiro and Takuto made their way to the park where they saw Sayuri's back. She was standing and was wearing a light blue hoodie. Her hair length was also the same as how it was when she was working at the café. Soon, she turned around and their figures came into her view.

"Looks like you came to see me, after all," she breathed. Her shoulders collapsed and she sighed. "Perfect timing. You already know why I've been waiting here, so let's just get this over with. I see you also brought your friend from the other night, as well. It'll be a good thing for this to get settled soon, anyway."

Hiro frowned. "Wait. There's something I'd like to ask first."

Sayuri narrowed her agate eyes. "What is it? There's not much to talk about, Hiro."

Hiro shook his head. "No, there is at least something I have to say before you sever ties with me. What are you going to do from now on since you don't work at the café anymore? Are you just going to leave the city?"

"Oh?" Sayuri questioned. "You're worried about me at a time like this? How noble of you to think about me when we're not in the same boat at this moment. Well to answer your questions, I'm going to work on what I've been doing for the last month as an anonymous hero of justice. Was that not transparent enough for you? So, no. I'm not going to leave Ginza when there are people in need. Many of them have been wronged and I can't let them get bamboozled by the malicious intent the rogues in this world have in mind. Still, this is a good chance for me to ask your friend over there something." She shifted her gaze from Hiro to Takuto, who was on the latter's left. "If I may ask, what is your relationship with Rina? Surely, it isn't 'nothing.' I knew there was something going on with you and my best friend when I first saw you on the company's rooftop. That's why, I'm asking you myself."

Takuto's eyes widened in surprise. "You want to know about my relationship with Rina?"

Sayuri gave a nod. "Seeing you two together makes one interested to find more information about your connection to one another. Are you two just comrades, or something more?"

Takuto furrowed his eyebrows. "Why should I tell you? You're not even my friend, so there's no need—"

Hiro glanced at Takuto. "No, we should probably tell her. She did say they were best friends, so it would be best to comply for today."

"Hiro, what are you—" Takuto was soon cut off.

Hiro looked down. "No, I'm sure Sayuri's also a magician, so it's only right to respect her wishes on this." He looked up and gazed into Takuto's eyes determinedly. "Trust me. It's better not to provoke them. From our last mission, she was more than likely going to attack you. If she did, you might have died from the impact. You also know they're allowed to kill anyone on Earth, right? So, don't try to argue with her. I'm saying this for your safety, Takkun."

"Hiro…" Takuto knew Hiro's statements were precise. He nodded and turned to face Sayuri. "About me and Rina. I'm…"

At that time, Rina was in the kitchen of Le Renard Noir with Atsumu. Together, they were preparing a batch of pork noodles for Takuto and the oncoming customers for the day.

Rina smiled. "I bet Takuto's going to happy when he comes here tonight."

Atsumu nodded. "I know! He'll love how it tastes and he'll be craving for a few more bowls when he takes a bite out of this! Ahaha! It's been a while since you've helped made pork noodles. I'm certain he remember the taste of your cooking, Rina." He smiled fondly, remembering the 'old' times they had back then. "Maybe it'll move him to tears when he eats the noodles. I know he's just _dying_ for the food you make."

Rina looked down and smiled. It was a bit sad, but there was so much to it than that. "Perhaps so. But I don't Takuto to cry because of me. I want him to keep smiling like he used to, and I'd like it if he could move on from the past. Unlike myself, I know he'll be able to do that. That's why… I'm doing what I can for his sake, rather than my own. That's what I promised him before we went our separate ways, so I'll keep doing whatever I can for him, even until the end of this journey."

Atsumu looked at Rina, realizing her consideration for Takuto. "Rina…" Before he knew it, tears were forming in the depths of his eyes. They flowed down with sorrow and he found himself covering his mouth with his right hand, sobbing shortly after.

Meanwhile, Takuto and Hiro were taking a stroll towards Le Renard Noir. They were walking side by side, and their chat with Sayuri had ended a few minutes ago.

"Hey, Takkun," Hiro called out. "Do you think it was okay for you to just tell Sayuri about it?"

Takuto sighed. "You're the one who said not to provoke her, remember? Besides, I knew it was a good idea to listen to you for a change, so I went along with it."

"I know, but…" Hiro looked down, unsure if what he did was right or wrong. "Maybe I shouldn't have forced you to say anything. I know how painful it is when it comes to Rina, but still. I'm the one at fault for giving you a push forward."

"Hiro, now you're just contradicting yourself," Takuto pointed out. "It's either you compromise with someone, or you don't. Even on our missions, we've had to do something about it to get what we want. It's how the world works, you understand?"

Hiro nodded, thinking about what had happened a bit earlier.

_At the park that afternoon_

_ Takuto looked up and responded to Sayuri's enquiries. "Rina and I used to be in a relationship until I broke up with her. I did that for her sake and not one else's. Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but that's the truth." He looked down with a conflicted expression on his face. "You might not understand this. But still. I had to do that so—"_

_ "—so she wouldn't get in trouble," Sayuri finished. "Isn't that right, Takuto Hirukawa?"_

_ Takuto's eyes widened, filled with astonishment. "How do you know my name? Did Rina tell you about me?"_

_ Sayuri's eyes narrowed. "Even if she didn't, it would also show up in the books."_

_ "What?" Hiro asked in a flabbergasted tone of voice._

_ Sayuri shook her head. "Never mind that. Anyway, I'll cut to the point. From now on, we're enemies. I don't consider Rina as my adversary since we're both magicians who don't harbor any malice towards our world. Don't think I'll just turn over a new leaf for your sakes. I'm on the side of the law no matter what you and the rest of the Black Foxes plan on doing. I won't take Rina down, but I'll defeat you men who have no sense of strictness towards crime. That is all."_

_ She turned around and disappeared from their sights, leaving them both standing in place before they decided to head back._

XXX

Inside Le Renard Noir, Rina was waiting a bit. She was sitting on one of the stools in front of the counter and was looking down with disheartened eyes. Then, she sighed and stood up from her seat, turning her figure towards the entrance. Atsumu walked out from the kitchen and noticed Rina's actions.

"Leaving already?" he asked. "Why don't you stay here a little longer? It's also dangerous for a young woman such as yourself to be walking out by herself at night, so you could try to wait until Takkun's finished with his meal before heading home."

Rina turned her head to face Atsumu and smiled once again. "No, it's fine. I'll be going soon, anyway. When Takuto gets here, could you just give him a serving of the pork noodles we have left? I think he'll be expecting them to be there once he walked inside."

Atsumu nodded. "Sure thing. Have a safe trip home, Rina. If you need anything later on, don't hesitate to call, okay? We'll do what we can to assist you."

"Thanks, Boss," Rina accepted the generous offer. Then, she walked out, leaving only Atsumu and Riki, who was on the upper floor, alone for the night.

While she left, Riki was already on his cell phone talking to someone.

"Think you'll be back soon?" he asked with a stern expression. "We have our hands busy during work, along with the missions. We might need your help soon. If you can't get to Ginza in time, it's fine. I'll handle everything for you."

"Sorry," the voice on the other line apologized. It was a woman's voice and it seemed she was still occupied from the sound of it. "I don't think I'll be able to get back to where you and the other guys are yet, Riki. There's been a lot of trouble on my end, so I'll be here for a little longer. I'll book a flight to Tokyo when I'm finished. Did something happen while I was away? For you to need me right now. It makes me worry about you all."

Riki sighed and rubbed the back of his head with his left hand. "Well, you can say that again. There's been a bit of trouble for the past few days, and we've been failing our missions since then. Other than that, maybe some relationship problems between the guys. It doesn't seem to get any better. It feels like we're only taking a turn for the worse. I can barely do anything about them. Boss is still the same as ever, so he's been the butt of our jokes lately."

The woman giggled. "Looks like you've been having too much fun." She lowered her eyes in concern while still smiling affectionately. "How's Ibuki doing? Has something changed in her condition since I left?"

"She's been doing pretty well, actually," Riki admitted with a satisfying smile. "Nothing's happened so far, so there's nothing to worry about at the moment. By the way, have you been doing well yourself? It's been nearly two weeks since you left. Even Hiro's been depressed since you went away. You were gone after his birthday, so he's been worried about you."

"I've been doing fine over here," the woman breathed. "I've actually been thinking about you since we parted ways. I miss you, Riki. I want to see you again soon."

Riki looked down, still smiling. "Yeah. I've missed you, too. Don't push yourself, okay? If something happens to you and I get a call from where you are, my heart will stop in a split second."

"Haha, don't worry," the woman said. "You shouldn't, either. Bye. I'll see you when I get back. Have a good night over there."

Riki nodded. "You too. Call me when you get back. I'll be waiting for you, Mitsuki."

"Of course," Mitsuki replied in a loving voice.

Soon, she hung up and their call ended. Riki looked at his phone and closed it. He set it on a nearby table and sighed in a downcast manner. All of a sudden, his body began to shake and he put his hand over his mouth. Tears had formed in his eyes and he started to cry. Not many people had ever seen him cry, but those that did knew how much he missed Mitsuki's presence. He kept weeping to himself while he sat on the bed, waiting for her return.

It was around that time when Hiro and Takuto entered the bar. They were greeted by Atsumu who was delighted to see them as always.

"Welcome, Takkun! Hiro!" he beamed. He was in quite a pleasant mood at the moment, and it showed on his face how happy he was. "Have a seat! Oh, and here are some pork noodles ready for you two! There's also drinks and dessert, so enjoy them while you can."

Takuto narrowed his eyes. "What's with all this? Your upbeat expression and voice just ruins my appetite."

Hiro looked around. "Yeah, and where's Rina? I don't see her anywhere. Did she leave already?"

Atsumu smiled lightly. "Yeah. She said she had to get going, so she left before you two came here. She also helped me make the food, but she at least wanted to cook up some pork nodded for you most of all, Takkun. She even waited a bit before she walked out."

"…!" Takuto's eyes widened when he heard what Atsumu told them. "Why didn't you stop her, you useless Beardface?!"

Atsumu had a solemn expression, lowering his shoulders. "Takkun, it's Rina's choice whether or not she wants to do something. You should know that by now. At any rate, she didn't want me to prevent her from going. I know this more than you do, so I was only letting her leave because wouldn't have wanted to stay here until you came."

"The hell I'm going to let her go off to her house by herself!" Takuto angrily bit back. "She's my ex, and I'm supposed to be her guard. Don't try to tell me to let her put herself in danger like that! What if someone attacks her?!" He turned around, but did not take a step forward until he said, "I have an obligation to protect her whether you like it or not. She's my partner in crime, so I'm going to get her no matter what."

With that out of the way, he ran out the door and searched for Rina. Atsumu sighed and smiled wearily.

"He sure lets his feelings for Rina show, doesn't he?" Atsumu stated.

Hiro nodded, smiling happily for Takuto. "Yeah, but that's something that's stayed the same since we first met her.

"Right?" Atsumu replied, agreeing with Hiro.

XXX

Outside, Takuto endorsed his instincts to drive him to where Rina was. He found her walking to her apartment and ran up to her, reaching his right hand on to her left arm, causing her to turn around and face him.

"Hey, what do you think you're—" He began to reprimand his former lover until he saw her gaze into his eyes and by then, his heart skipped a beat as he looked at her.

It felt like that winter day three years ago when he had reached out to take hold of Rina's arm. Unlike back then, however, it wasn't snowing since it was sometime during spring. Yet, it felt like it did before. Many emotions erupted inside Takuto's mind as he thought back to the day he regretted most of all.


	5. Episode 5

Old Feelings, New Ones, and a Chase for Magic

Takuto had finally caught up to Rina in a matter of seconds, having dashed in a frenzy after leaving Le Renard Noir without taking his time to sit down and eat his dinner for the night. He interrupted his ex-girlfriend's quiet expedition home the second he grabbed onto her left arm with his right hand, instigating her to turn around.

"Just what do you think you're trying to do, leaving without waiting for me to finish?!" He asked aggressively. Then, Rina's gaze caught his attention, making his heart to waver as it skipped a beat, and he suddenly thought back to the day he had always regretted.

Like how they were at the moment, it felt like that winter day over three years ago. The season they were in was different, but it still gave Takuto a memory of the past he and Rina shared the last time they saw each other until now.

_December 14, 2003_

_ After Takuto and Rina finished their date that afternoon, they began to go their separate ways. But then… He decided to turn around, and walked a few steps forward, taking hold of Rina's left arm with his right hand. Rina looked back and gazed into Takuto's golden eyes with her honey-colored ones. This caught Takuto off-guard, as he felt a stinging pain in his chest when he looked at his girlfriend's innocent and pure expression. While Rina didn't know what was going on, Takuto's look changed to a grief-stricken frown. He knew he was going to have to go through the saddest thing that would happen and he glanced down, while his eyes became shadowed from the seventeen-year-old girl's eyesight._

_ "Sorry, but let's break up," he apologized._

_ Rina's eyes widened with confusion swirling around in her mind. "Huh?" She could not believe what she heard from the twenty-one-year-old young man she was in love with._

_ Takuto looked up with a cold expression on his face. "I don't love you anymore, Rina. My feelings for you have changed now, so I think it would be better if you forgot about me."_

_ Tears formed in Rina's eyes as she lowered them by a small fraction. "But why…? It wasn't like that a few minutes ago. Everything was going fine before, so why now…?" She placed her hands on Takuto's jacket and held onto it with her fingers. "I don't want this to happen. I want to be with you forever, Takuto…!"_

_ Takuto frowned, staring into Rina's eyes. "If you stay with me, you'll never truly be happy. That's why, I'm letting you go."_

_ Seeing Takuto's indecipherable expression made it even worse. Rina's tears began to fall, and she lowered her head with a sob. Her forehead was slightly touching Takuto's jacket, and her hands were stilling holding onto it in anguish._

_ "Please don't do this, Takuto…" she begged. "I don't want us to break up so suddenly. I just… don't like having to drift away from you without any warning. Why can't we stay together like we always did? Why does it have to come to a bad ending? Can't you… explain your reason for cutting us off from each other…?"_

_ Takuto shook his head and narrowed his eyes after hearing Rina's painful cries. "No… I can't tell you anything for your sake." He pulled Rina's body away from his by putting his hands on the upper sides of her arms near her shoulders, and gently separating them a very small distance from one another. She raised her head a bit to look at him and in turn, Takuto focused on her tear-stained face. He set his right hand on the side of her face and smiled softly. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, but I wanted to say one last thing before we stop seeing each other. Thank you, for falling in love with a despicable guy like me. I don't actually deserve to be loved by a kind girl like yourself, Rina. Take care and goodbye."_

_ He leaned down and closed his eyes, kissing the blonde magician as a farewell sign. In an instant, Rina's painful emotions came pouring out, and her tears fell once more. She closed her eyes and accepted Takuto's lips for a final time._

XXX

Takuto currently had a blank expression and was frowning in an unhappy manner. Rina was still gazing at her ex-boyfriend's face. She was perplexed by Takuto's abrupt stop and tilted her head to her left in concern.

"Takuto?" she asked. "Is something wrong? You don't seem like your usual self today."

There was no answer from the dirty blond man. He was stuck in the memory of the past and would not come back.

"Takuto?" Rina called out again. "Hello? Earth to Takuto Hirukawa~." Knowing he would not return to reality yet, she gently placed her right hand on the side of his face, making his eyes widen. Her eyes lowered by about less than a tenth and she had a solemn expression on her face. "Looks like you're back. Where did you wander off to? I was worried about you this whole time."

Takuto blinked a couple times. Then, he dodged the question after releasing Rina's hand. "Huh? Oh." He was back to being nonchalant towards anyone he knew. "It's nothing. You don't have to worry about me. I'm just here to take you home since you walked out before I even got to eat."

Rina frowned. "Then, you should have just stayed at the bar until you were done. I was only going back to my apartment for the night. You don't have to go that far to—"

"Shut up!" Takuto yelled. "Of course I do! You're my partner, aren't you?! We're part of the same team, so I have to take you back to your place no matter what. Wouldn't you do the same for me?" His eyes narrowed and his tone of voice calmed down. "You said that you would support me no matter what, so I'll do the same for you. I'll continue to do my portion of our promise as long as we're both alive."

"But that was for our missions," Rina pointed out. "We haven't even had one since the incident with Sayuri. It's not the same like when we're doing our job as thieves, remember?"

At that moment, Takuto's face quickly flushed red. He realized what he had blurted out and was humiliated yet again. "I-I know that! I was just reminding you, s'all. Since we're both… you know."

Rina gave an eye smile. "Yeah, I know." She opened her eyes. "We can't say it in public, so let's just leave it at that."

She narrowed her eyes with a soft expression.

_We can't say anything about being part of the Black Foxes in front of other people, but that's fine, _she thought. Another frown appeared shortly after. _However, being a thief is basically a night job, as well as a risky one to boot. We can't afford to get caught, but the real problem is: Can everyone else in our group resolve any conflicts with Sayuri and come to a resolution? She's a magician whose strong sense of justice opposes any crimes that are known to the public, especially those we have made. She won't attack those she considers a friend, but she will take action against everyone else. I can only hope things will go well from now on between the guys and Sayuri. It won't be easy, but we'll have to figure something out._

Takuto held out his left hand this time in front of Rina. He dared not to take a glimpse at her and had his right index finger on the side on his face, moving it up and down. In truth, he was still a bit flustered from being put in an embarrassing situation. "Here. Take my hand. I'll walk you back to your place for at least making the food with Beardy."

Although she appreciated the thought of holding hands with her former lover, Rina shook her head. "Thanks, but I'd rather not do something that will embarrass you even more, Takuto. I'd feel bad for you."

Takuto frowned. "I guess not." An impish grin spread on to his face. "I wouldn't want to get anyone on our case, _especially_ the guys. They'll just tease us, and you'd be the only girl in our group who has to put up with them for now. If they bring anything else up, you could beat them to it like you did with Kenshi the day of our last mission. Let's hope he doesn't make any more RPG game references. He's too into the downloadable ones from the Internet, so he'll keep getting bitten by everyone. He can be a nerd at times, but it'll only make things funnier for us to pick on him."

Rina laughed. "Not like it wasn't obvious or anything, but Kenshi _does_ have some of the qualities of a gamer who can't stop playing those types of games. He really likes playing the horror genre they have, but he gets freaked out every now and then from the jump scares."

"Right?" Takuto asked. "When he screams, we can mug him."

Soon enough, the two of them strolled all the way to Rina's apartment. They were in front of the door, and Rina unlocked it with her key. Then, she walked in, and looked back at Takuto.

"Why don't you come in for now?" she offered. "I can give you something to eat if you want. But then, maybe you'd rather have me call Boss to bring your food here instead." She had another soft expression on her face, but when Takuto saw it, his chest started to hurt. "It's fine if you don't want to. I just thought you might like something to fill your stomach since you haven't eaten anything yet."

Takuto looked down. "No, that's not it. I…"

Seeing the expression on his face, Rina immediately knew something was on Takuto's mind. Then, she gazed into his eyes and asked, "Takuto, do you still love me?"

Takuto's eyes widened and he looked up, unable to avert his eyes away from Rina's. A surge of his past feelings began to resurface, and his complexion became stern. "Yeah, I'm still in love with you, Rina. I've never stopped loving you, even after we broke up."

_I still love you, but I could never say that before, _he thought. He was still staring at Rina with so many emotions running through his entire body. _It always hurt to see your sad expression, but I had my reasons for breaking up with you._

Rina's heart was filled with different feelings she kept inside for the last few years. She wasn't sure what to think, but she felt a mixture of sadness and pain. "Takuto, I—"

Before she could say anything else, Takuto's lips were suddenly on hers. Rina's eyes widened with surprise taking the place of her burdening emotions from a split second ago. It was not until a few seconds later that Takuto pulled away, looking into Rina's eyes with his own; unlike Rina, however, he wasn't surprised about anything that happened within the short time they shared.

Rina was now blushing and swiftly glanced down at the floor/ground in front of them. "About the kiss just now… I… Um…" She could feel her face getting hotter, but she couldn't look directly at Takuto.

Takuto, however, nodded. "Those are my true feelings. Whether or not you believe me depends on what you decide in the end. Anyway, I'll take my leave, so you don't have to get me anything. I'll be at the bar to get Beardface to reheat my pork noodles." He held up his right hand. "Well, bye. I'll see you later."

Takuto turned around and walked downstairs towards Le Renard Noir; Rina was still at the door in a frozen state, and the heat had already drained from her face. Her shoulders dropped slowly and she stared at the scenery in front of her.

"Takuto… kissed me…" She trailed off with her dazed expression before turning around and closing the door behind her. The second after, she looked down and took her shoes off at the foyer. "…He really… kissed me…"

_It's been a while since we shared a kiss together… but why now…? _She asked in her deepest thoughts. _He hasn't been trying to tell me how he really feels until now. Guess he really dropped the bomb there, didn't he? Takuto. What are you thinking, doing that to me? I'm your ex, not your current lover. We're not an item anymore, remember? You can't just plant a kiss on my lips like that without confessing your feelings beforehand, or letting me finish. That's not how things work in my world, but I guess you humans really don't have any decency towards loving someone who's out of your league. Geez… You've changed since then, yet you can't at least _tell_ me anything first? What happened during those years we spent apart from each other? _Rina sighed, closing her eyes in exhaustion. _I really want to ask, but at the same time, I'd rather focus on our missions before any romance happens between us._

She opened her eyes and placed her fingers on her lips, narrowing her eyes in a trance of some sort.

_But… _she continued. _It really brought back a lot of memories. I never want to forget about the times we had together, but it makes me wonder if we'll ever be something more than a broken up couple from the past. Again, I knew somewhere down that you had a lot on your mind. There were so many things I wanted to do for you, and it looks like the most I can do is to back you up when the time comes. However, it makes me wish you'd think more about how everyone feels every now and then._

A smiled appeared on Rina's face.

_Takuto Hirukawa, _she said in her mind. _You do know that you're going to have to try harder to convince me, along with Sayuri and the other guys how you feel, don't you? And with that, you should also know what you've done to THE Rina Tokuhara. I'm a magician of power, and I'm not your average young woman, so you have a price to pay for kissing me. After all, you're my one and only partner, so I'll throw those words back to you whenever you're ready._

Once she completed her thoughts, Rina nodded to herself and went to the kitchen to prepare a late-night meal to eat, including a cup of tea. She had a new resolve which she had yet to reveal and it only made everything more exciting on her side.

Meanwhile, Takuto was back at the bar with Hiro and Atsumu still inside. He was sitting on a seat in front of the counter besides the art student and was absorbed on eating the rest of his pork noodles.

Hiro turned his head to his right to face the dirty blond. "So, did you get to see Rina off at her place?" Just like Atsumu, Hiro was interested in hearing what happened while Takuto was away.

Takuto stopped and gulped down a few of his noodles. Then, he looked at Hiro and said, "Yeah. That's about it." Suddenly, he started to cough and made a funny face. "Ack!"

Hiro closed his eyes and gladly patted Takuto's back. "Haha, you really love eating those pork noodles, Takkun."

Atsumu nodded. "I'll say. Rina did help with preparing them, after all. I bet he really missed her cooking! Ahaha!"

Takuto was catching his breath and gave Atsumu an irritated look. "I'll tell you… something, old man. If…" He coughed once more. "…all you really think about is how much I miss her, then you're wrong." Another cough came after that. "I…" Cough. "…don't even like her as more…" Cough. "…than an accomplice for our missions." And another cough. Soon, he regained his normal pace and added to his rant. "The only thing I really have to say about Rina is that she's no more than a member of our team. There's nothing more than a companionship between us. You got that?"

Hiro frowned. "But I think it'd be fine if you two got together again. I really liked how things were between you and Rina before you two broke up."

"I agree," Atsumu casually stated. "By the way, are you sure you only saw her off at her apartment, Takkun? It took some more time than I imagined for you to get back here."

"Yeah," Hiro kept frowning. "Is that really all you did? I mean, you could have stayed with her and asked her to get me—us, some of her strawberry cake. Rina still has some in her house, right? I—Well, Boss and I were wondering what to get for some extra dessert. I'm sure Rikkun would have wanted to have some, too."

Atsumu smiled. "Speaking of Riki, he hasn't gone out of his room for quite some time now. He's probably dying of starvation at the moment, so why don't you go to the store and get something? I'll make you another bowl of pork noodles, Takkun. What do you say?"

A crosshurt appeared on Takuto's head. "Do I look like an errand boy to you?! And what this about Rina having cake and pastries at home, anyway?! Also, you could just get some yourself, you lazy Beard-covered pervert!" He quickly glanced at Hiro and continued. "And don't try to make me get stuff for you, Hiro! You can charm someone with your looks and have them buy your sweets anytime, so why don't you think about adjusting your playboy schedule for once? I don't have to do anything for you guys, and I _don't_ have to tell you about what happened between me and Rina! It's none of your business what we do, understand?!"

Hiro and Atsumu exchanged glances with one another and devious smiled formed on their faces.

"So something happened, after all," Hiro teased. "Did you kiss Rina? Or, did you do something to her and caught her off-guard?"

Atsumu laughed. "Ahaha! Oh, Takkun. You little devil. You must have really made her push you away! It makes me wish I could comfort her myself."

Takuto's face contorted and he was disgusted by the two around him. "What the heck are you thinking about?! I would never put a move on Rina. She's my ex-girlfriend, not anything else! You guys really need to keep your dirty minds away from me, or I'll shave off the perv's beard and break his bones."

Tears began to form in Atsumu's eyes like they usually did. "That's so mean, Takkun! I can't believe you would really do that to me. It really hurts when you put it that way." He wiped his clear and salty tears with a white, lacy handkerchief that he pulled out shortly afterwards. "I don't want you to put me in extensive care, you know."

Takuto frowned with his typical indifference. "Whatever. At any rate, I bet Riki's cried himself to sleep by now. He doesn't need you to get him anything until tomorrow."

Hiro smiled wryly. "He can barely hold himself together at a time like this. We've also been doing poorly on our missions and we haven't gotten anything back so far. Maybe we need to take a break from this for now. Kenny's also been tired lately, and everyone else is, too. We should—"

"No," Takuto refused. "We can't do that."

Hiro's eyes widened. "Huh? What do you mean? We haven't taken some time off in a while, Takkun, so we—"

"If we don't get these missions done, we won't be able to be thieves who have a large reputation for long," Takuto pointed out. "We're the Black Foxes. We need to get ourselves back in shape and do something about it." Then, he grimaced. "Don't you remember? Your 'friend' is our enemy now, Hiro. She isn't the same person you knew from the café. That's all been a façade for everyone when she's actually siding with the police to bring us behind bars, and you know it. We have to win against her, or we'll never be able to live out our normal lives again. You know what that means, right?"

Hiro nodded. "Yeah, I know. But we can barely catch up to Sayuri. She's a magician who can corner others in a split second. She won't let us go without a fight."

"You're forgetting that we have a magician in our group as well," Takuto reminded the twenty-one-year-old. "Rina's able to confront her, so she won't be able to attack us that easily. We have an advantage here and we can use it to defeat that girl at her own game."

Atsumu sighed and frowned. "You're right, but I don't think it's something Rina wants, Takkun. She's not the type of person to strike down her own friend. Since they come from the same world, they're bound to refuse any act of harming one another when they have a close bond. We can't afford to hurt Sayuri even if she _is_ our enemy. You know what it means when someone goes against a magician, don't you? We have to find a way to compromise with her. That's how we can solve our differences and come to an agreement."

"But how do you suppose we do that, Boss?" Hiro asked. He was hesitant about crossing paths with Sayuri and wasn't certain what he should do the next time he saw her. "Sayuri's pride might not allow her to come to a truce with us. It won't be a simple task to carry out when you think about the consequences we'll be going through."

Atsumu put on a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, Hiro. We'll come up with a plan if we can. For now, we have to think about replenishing our strength to the fullest before taking on a new mission. Then, we'll gather everyone here and go through with it. We've always done that in the past, and we need to do that sooner or later. We just have to give everything a bit more time. In a few days, we'll get ready to steal something else. Now, I believe we should all rest for the night. We might as well call Kenshi in tomorrow and let him know."

"I already sent him a message, so it's fine," Takuto replied. "We don't need to do that anymore. He knows what to do, and he'll be here as soon as he can later."

"Wow, Takkun!" Hiro exclaimed in amazement. "That fast, huh? I guess you beat Boss' speech."

Takuto shrugged. "Well, we both knew sooner or later he was going to say something like that, so I decided to contact Kenshi about it. It was also getting boring in here, and there was nothing else to do besides listening to Beady talk about it."

"Hey!" Atsumu shouted. "I can at least say a few great things now, can't I? I'm the boss of the Black Foxes, so I have to be one a few times!"

Takuto laughed. "Pffft! Like anyone wants a middle-aged man to be the boss of the team, anyway. We can turn the tables around and shove your words in your face without any problems, so it shouldn't matter if you're the boss or not."

"Uuu…" Atsumu whimpered. He was on the verge of tears again. "I know…"

Hiro sweat-dropped. "Takkun, I think Boss has cried enough times today, so let's just leave him be for now."

"Now way," Takuto rejected. He was still enjoying himself. "This is pretty entertaining. And a lot better than having a girlfriend."

"Ahaha…" Hiro laughed awkwardly. Hearing Takuto's last sentence was a bit harsh for his heart to handle. "I hope you're only joking about that. I feel bad for Rina."

"Who knows?" Takuto grinned. "Might as well splurge on this while we still can."

"I guess you're right."

The night went on with many cracks and amusing scenes, but there was more than the average person could stand. Within a few hours, the day was over and the early hours were arriving on the clock.

XXX

A few days had passed by and it was after closing hours at Le Renard Noir. The members of the Black Foxes were gathered inside and were about to begin their next mission.

"Alright," Riki said. "Let's go over the plan and make it fast. First, we'll get to the cave and search for the orbs. Once we bring them back, we'll disperse them to different parts of Tokyo and get them ready and set up. Then, if there aren't any problems, let's go!"

Hiro nodded. "Right!"

Everyone except for Atsumu dashed to their destination and were soon inside the cave Riki brought up. Within a matter of a few minutes, they were in the deepest part within. Inside was an underground lake with sparkling blue water; sitting above it in the center was an array of three beautiful orbs emitting a mysterious sensation and power. They each had their own colors and there were a magenta, blue, and red one lined in the exact order listed.

"Look!" Kenshi blurted out.

Riki's eyes widened. "Are those…?" He started to ask, but was taken in by the incredible sight.

Takuto nodded. "Yeah. Those are the magic orbs that were sent out from the magician world. We're in the right place, so let's get them and hurry back to Beardface."

"Not so fast!" a recognizable voice shouted. There was no one to be seen inside the cavern, but it was definitely someone Hiro, Takuto, and Rina knew.

Hiro's eyes widened at the sound of the voice. "…!"

Takuto's expression immediately changed with alertness. "Don't tell me she's already…!"

"That's right," Sayuri answered. A bright light suddenly flashed and Sayuri appeared a far distance behind the orbs. This time, she had a set of long wings that glowed with a pure bright light, resembling an angel's, but they were much more captivating. She had her staid expression from before, which was unwavering towards the group. "It's me. I see you've brought your other members along, as well. It's a pleasure to see you again, Black Foxes. I know you're also after the orbs from the looks of it, so let's see who can get to them first."

"Who are you?" Riki inquired. He was on his guard and prepared for action.

Sayuri smirked assertively. "I'm Sayuri Mitsuyoshi, if that answers your questions. But, isn't it a bit rude for you to ask such a question when you haven't introduced yourself first? I heard it was a custom here in Japan, but perhaps I was mistaken or told otherwise. However, that does not matter in this situation."

Riki grinned. "Oh? Then, I guess I can let you know something about myself. I'm the leader of the Black Foxes, Riki Yanase. It's nice to meet you, but playtime's over. We're going to get the orbs back no matter what, so we'll be the ones who get the last laugh out of this."

"Idiot!" Takuto berated. "Why did you tell her your name? Now she'll be able to find you during the day!"

Sayuri's eyes narrowed.

_It couldn't be, could it? _She thought.

"…" There was no direct reply from Sayuri as she stared at Riki.

Kenshi tilted his head to his left. "Huh? What's wrong? She's not saying anything."

"She's looking at Riki," Takuto noted. "Now's our chance to grab the orbs!"

Riki shook his head. "No, wait. I'd rather have a fair contest with her for them."

Hiro blinked twice. "? So, we're going easy on her?"

Riki nodded. "Yeah. I can't seem to bring myself to take advantage of her. I'm sure Mitsuki wouldn't approve of me doing this, anyway."

Kenshi smiled. "So, it's Saionji's influence, after all."

"Love seems to chain a man down, doesn't it?" Hiro beamed. "Riki's become softer thanks to Mitsuki."

A disgusted expression spread onto Takuto's face. "Ugh… So nasty!" His anger quickly showed and he felt mortified by Riki's behavior.

Rina narrowed her eyes and was looking at Sayuri. "Hello? Sayuri, you there?"

This snapped Sayuri out of her thoughts. She glanced at Rina, then aimed her gaze at Riki. "…"

"I've got a question to ask you," Riki declared with a frown. "Were you the one behind the incident at the mansion? If so, did you know we were coming there that night?"

Sayuri sighed and her shoulders slumped. "You're partially correct about that. I _did_ take the actual painting of Takuji, but that was all. I intended to bring it back to its rightful owner, nothing more."

"What about the fake painting and the explosion?" Riki inquired further. "Didn't you also swap the original one with a replica? And why did the mansion blow up? What's your reasoning behind it?"

Sayuri tilted her head to her left and blinked. "A fake painting of Takuji? I have no knowledge about switching the painting, nor do I know anything about the mansion exploding. I was only there to take the painting back to Takuji's friend in Roppongi. That's all."

"Wait, what?" Riki couldn't believe what he heard. "You didn't plan to set off the explosion? Then, who—"

"It was probably the mafia," Rina deducted, having placed her curled hand near the side of her face. "I see. They must've wanted to sell the original painting overseas, but when they went to recover it, they saw it was missing, so they put the copy they had on the wall, and decided to blow the mansion up once we went there."

Kenshi's eyes widened in realization. "Then, that means…"

Rina nodded. "Yeah. They may know what we look like. However, they don't know about Takuto, I'm sure, since he wasn't in there. He'll be safe even if they try to find us, but there's not much we can do about it now."

Riki bit his lip. "Damn it!"

"I guess Sayuri helped us resolve that case," Hiro smiled.

Sayuri's eyes were unmoving. There were no emotions of care for the male members, which left Rina out of her muse as she had barely made a movement in the windless air. "Are you through with all this chatter?" she asked. Though she had been patient enough to let them talk for some time, she was somewhat growing impatient on the inside. "I'll be retrieving the orbs from you soon enough!"

With Kenshi's help lifting his weight up, Rina held both of Riki's ankles and threw him; Riki was launched towards the orbs. Sayuri swiftly flew toward them and grabbed hold of the magenta and red ones with her wings, while Riki was able to take the blue one away in time.

Sayuri dropped the ones she caught onto her hands and took a look at them. Then, she narrowed her eyes once more and scoffed. "Che. These will have to do for now." She glances at the members of the Black Foxes. "We'll meet again soon. I can just feel it in my wings. Until then." She turned her head slightly to her right and gazed at Hiro. "Au revoir, Hiro. It was nice seeing you again." Then, she looked back to view all of the members before smiling faintly. "Take care of Rina for me. _You_ most of all, Takuto."

With a flap of her wings, Sayuri vanished once more and was no longer in the Black Foxes' sight. By the time she was gone, Riki was walking to the ground, having emerged from the water with the orb in his right hand.

"Come on," Takuto held out his hand with a monotone expression. "Let's get you back. And fast. We don't want you to catch a cold from the water temperature."

Riki smiled softly and took hold of Takuto's right hand with his left. "Thanks. Sorry things had to be dramatic there."

Takuto shrugged. "We know how you are, Riki."

Kenshi nodded. "Yeah. You're always pulling off stunts like these, so it's not very uncommon to see you do something for the sake of completing the mission."

"That's right," Rina patted Riki's back with her left hand. "You also deserve some credit for doing that."

Riki grinned. "You guys helped. I couldn't have gotten this one without you two."

"Now, you're making things even _more_ dramatic," Takuto commented. He was still as unemotional as ever. "What's with you?"

"Haha!" Hiro laughed. "That's our Riki! Always being a nice guy in the end."

"Hey," Riki frowned. "I can't help it. The leader of the Black Foxes has to praise his underlings."

Everyone but Takuto laughed. He was in a sour mood due to Riki's large amount of pride. They all came back to Le Renard Noir afterwards, and were welcomed by Atsumu, who was waiting for them with a set dinner at a different table than the night they returned from the mansion. Everyone but the boss changed back to the clothes they wore during most of the day and washed their hands before eating.

XXX

After the six of them ate together, they were sitting in front of the counter. Atsumu was behind it like he usually was, and they were about to send the blue orb away. A young woman's face appeared on the screen that belonged to Takuto's laptop. She was also another beauty to behold and had spring green hair which was long, and mauve eyes.

"Thanks for getting the orb," the young woman thanked the group. "I truly appreciated the effort you all put in to finding it."

Rina gave a strained smile. "Sorry we only got one back, Rie. There wasn't much we could do about it. My powers were held back a bit."

Rie lowered her eyes and smiled back affectionately. "No, I understand. Sayuri was there, wasn't she? Her powers can hold someone as strong as you down for quite a while, so I know you couldn't do much in that situation, Rina. I'm just glad you were okay. If something were to happen to you, I'm not sure what Ken and I would do about it."

Rina held the orb in her right hand and it disappeared, making a type of liquid-like sound when it went. "Well, I'm sure you'll be able to use the orb's power to fuel Ikebukuro soon enough. See you later."

Rie held her hand up. "Take care, Rina."

The image on the screen faded out, leaving everyone in the bar to themselves.

"Your cousin seemed pretty nice," Takuto said in a stoic tone of voice. "But she looked like a lily pad."

Rina glanced at Takuto without moving her head and smiled in an ambiguous manner. "She did not. She was pretty."

"I think she looked really colorful," Hiro remarked. "Her hair and eye colors were different from what I've seen before."

Riki smiled casually. "Since she's also a magician, it's normal for her to have an unnatural hair and eye color. We're human, so we usually have bland physical features. It's nice to see someone who has a bright look every once in a while."

"Rina's kinda normal for one," Takuto stated. "But she looks pretty natural."

"Sayuri does, too," Hiro added. "Maybe there are some magicians like that in Neon."

Atsumu let his shoulder fall. "I'm jealous, though. Rina's cousin is such a beautiful young lady. I would have liked to marry someone like her had she not been taken already."

"That's taking a step too far, Boss," Kenshi grimaced.

Takuto frowned nonchalantly. "We all saw it coming. He always says something perverted about girls now that he's single."

Riki sighed. "I feel bad for Shinobu. She was married to a man who would betray her through sexual harassment to another girl."

Hiro nodded. "And a married one, too."

"You all need to learn how to take a joke," Atsumu sweat-dropped. "Try following Rina's example. She doesn't complain even though she doesn't approve of it."

"It's your fault for starting it in the first place," Riki frowned.

Atsumu burst into a panic. "What? It's my fault."

"That's right," Takuto grinned. "You're the oldest, so it's your fault."

Hiro sighed. "You really dug your grave, Boss. I'm ashamed of you."

While the guys were adding to their banter, Kenshi was silent. All he could think of was the sight he and the others saw in the cave.

Rina noticed this and glanced to her left. "? Kenshi? What's wrong?"

Everyone stopped talking and paid attention to Kenshi, who was in deep thought until now.

"Well, I'm not sure how to say this," he announced. He was looking down at the counter with slumped shoulders. "But I think I've fallen for Sayuri."

This caught Hiro off-guard. "WHAT?!"

Everyone else was calm about it, unlike their youngest member.


	6. Episode 6

In Order to Survive

"? Kenshi? What's wrong?" While the others were poking fun at Atsumu, Rina had noticed Kenshi's silent state and turned her head towards her left. "You don't look well right now. Is something troubling you?"

The others stopped and gave their undivided attention to hear what Kenshi had to say.

Kenshi was staring down at the counter. His shoulders were slumped and he let out an exaggerated breath. His face began to fill will pinkish-red tints of color, giving him a mad blush. "I'm not exactly sure how to say this, but…" Then, he gulped. "I think… I've fallen in love with Sayuri."

Hiro's eyes widened with great shock. He could _not_ believe his ears. "WHAT?!"

Unlike Hiro, however, everyone else inside Le Renard Noir was calm about the situation. They stared blankly and seriously at the firefighter.

"Kenshi," Riki began with a stern expression, "Are you really sure you have any romantic feelings towards her? You might just be mistaking how you feel with a large admiration and respect for her appearance tonight."

Rina sighed. "No, I'm _positive_ he's actually developed feelings for Sayuri. He was lost in thought just now, Riki. It was different than before, so I don't think Kenshi's gotten the wrong idea."

Kenshi looked at Riki and gave a light nod with his head. Then, he looked down and the floor. "Yeah. The way she looked tonight was so beautiful, I was captivated by her entire being. Her wings were also glowing with a bright white light and they were elegant. It was like she sent feathers down to my when she was in the air. Her movements and agility were also astounding, I couldn't believe she was really there. She looked so hot—"

Riki had closed his eyes and put his right hand out, right in front of Kenshi's face. "Stop! That's enough out of you for now." He seemed distraught by Kenshi's blabbering and felt as though his entire face was about to twitch any second now. A sigh came out from his mouth and he placed his hand on the top of his forehead. "I know you really like her, but you have got to let things go. All this talk about Sayuri is making me irritated, so don't add on to how sexy you think she is." He opened his eyes, displaying his frustration and annoyance. "It just sounds so wrong coming from you, Kenshi."

"It was pretty disgusting to hear about near the end," Takuto commented indifferently. "I thought I was going to puke."

Hiro nodded with a sickening expression. His frown and eyes made him appear as if he was a puppy on the verge of tears and illness. "I have to agree with Takkun and Riki there, Kenny. My stomach doesn't feel good when you say it like that."

Kenshi's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't think everyone would act this way. "W-What? Am I really that repulsive when I put how I feel in words? I just thought it'd be fine to let you guys know how I was thinking, that's all!"

"But tell me, Kenshi," Atsumu urged, "Do you really feel that way about Sayuri? I mean, if your emotions and words are genuine, I believe it's okay for you to like her for the time being. Although, I'm not sure how long that will be. If she doesn't leave your mind, then I think you can continue loving her for the rest of your life, and perhaps even beyond. It's up to you to decide how you really feel about her."

Kenshi smiled warmly at Atsumu's words. "Boss…"

Rina frowned with her arms folded across her chest. "But to think you've fallen for Sayuri, rather than a normal girl. It's really worrying, Kenshi."

"Huh?" Kenshi asked. "What do you mean, Rina?"

Rina turned her back towards the counter and took a seat next to Kenshi. She glanced at him and told her fellow thief and friend something for everyone else, along with him to hear, still having her arms against her perfectly rounded bust. "Kenshi, not only have you grown feelings for a magician, but you've also begun to harbor them for a magician of fate."

"A magician of fate?" he inquired further.

"Sayuri is one of the magicians with a power that can draw others to her, hence she is one of the magicians of fate," Rina elaborated. "In Neon, magicians are classified under three categories: intelligence, power, and fate. Those under the name of fate are the magicians who many are pulled towards. Sayuri's beauty and wings have created a romantic effect on you, which in turn, has caused you to fall in love with her. Though it may sound like an illusion, it is not. Your feelings for her are indeed the real thing, so it's no doubt you kept thinking about her after we came back. Anyone who is attracted to a magician like similar to Sayuri's powers in a sexual direction is going to fall for them no matter what. It is inevitable, and there is a high chance you will never be able to fall in love with someone else even if you wanted to as a means of forgetting a magician of fate."

"So, that means Kenny's forever stuck with liking Sayuri that way?" Hiro asked. He was astonished once again since he heard Rina's explanation. "Then, he'll never get a girlfriend!" he exclaimed, realizing with zeal of Kenshi's unfortunate circumstances. "Alright! Seeing as Kenny won't be able to stand a chance against any guy who has Sayuri's heart, he'll be doomed from love forever. Yay~!"

Kenshi felt as though he was going to burst from the inside out. "Hiro, that's pretty cruel of you to say right now! I'm in a giant buzz, you know!" He frowned uneasily, and asked, "Can't I at least get some support from you guys on this? Boss is the only one who's given his okay so far, and I'm really in a pinch when it comes to Sayuri."

"Well, we're only telling you our emotions and opinions," Hiro stated. "Plus, even if you wanted to go out with her, everyone will instantly acknowledge the fact that you two would be the unfit pairing of all of us. I can't say I'm fine with that thought myself. It just makes me sick to think of you and Sayuri together."

Rina narrowed her eyes. "Sorry, Kenshi, but I can't give you my approval for this, either. Sayuri _is_ a magician, after all. You don't seem to be suitable for someone out of your league. In fact, I have to be honest and tell you my outlook on your hopeless case. I think an ordinarily woman would be the best choice for you to date. Of course, it's all up to you. However, I could never picture you and my best friend ending up together. I know it's a bit harsh of me to say this, but considering what it's like to be around you, maybe it's better if you married a human girl instead."

"See?" Hiro laughed. "Even Rina knows what's right and wrong. You're a good person and all, Kenny, but you're more like the guy next door. You're just an average person in the universe, and you can't change that about yourself. It's all about luck and having a set life. You should know that by now since you don't really have anything that makes you an elite like Rikkun and Takkun, who tend to make more money with their careers."

At that second, Kenshi could sense a raincloud over his head, letting all the bad things pour down as small droplets of rain. "…" He knew Hiro's words were true, but he didn't want to admit it. A conflicted expression overtook his face. Inside, it felt like he was dying, rotten to the core of his body—his heart and soul.

Riki breathed with a strained smile, letting himself relax while he looked at Kenshi. "In love with the enemy, huh? That's something I never would have imagined in our group, but I guess it's just like Kenshi to be the tragic one of all. Poor guy. It must be pretty rough to be in _his_ shoes. He seems even more exhausted than before."

Takuto was still as stoic as he usually was at times like these. "It can't be helped in his case. He was born to be less than a star-crossed protagonist and we can't do anything to adjust his life to how he wants. He's going to have to deal with it, rather than sulk under a cloudy, gray sky." Then, his playful grin came onto the scene. "But that's what he gets for letting his guard down while we're executing our missions. I bet he's been up all night playing his horror RPG games again."

Rina looked up and glanced at Takuto with a quizzical expression. "Like 'The Beast's House'?"

"I was thinking more of 'The Twisted Man' or 'Death Demon', but that works, too," Takuto mentioned. "But maybe he's more into 'Mutilation Party' even though it's for one of those game consoles, instead of his PC."

Rina frowned with a fearful (in a calm way, somewhat) look on her face. "That's the one where a bunch of kids get transported into another dimension, right? I don't like the amount of blood and carcasses in the game. They freak me out."

"Don't worry," Takuto reassured his ex-girlfriend. "If Kenshi has you go over to his house to watch him play that game, call me and I'll punch him right in the face for giving you a scare. I can land a powerful hit in no time." Another grin formed on his face due to his enjoyment. "I should try beating him at his own hobby sometime. It's been a while since I was over at his house, so it'll be a good warm-up for me."

Rina held her right hand near her face, and it was already curled into a fist-like structure as she giggled. "Think I should give you a massage when you decide to go there? I could also prepare some food for you two to eat while you're in his room."

"Mm…" Takuto was really into that notion. "Yeah, I'll need one to shake off all the stress from work, so you can go ahead. In fact, I don't mind if you gave me one now." His nonchalant expression returned with a frown. "I've been tired lately, but I know I'm not the only one who's been getting worn out. So, I won't force you to do something like that for me if you don't want to. Even if I'm a deadbeat, I can still try to make it on my own. I'm sure it must hurt to be held down by your own friend's power, huh? Are you still unable to use most of your powers, Rina?"

Rina smiled at Takuto weakly. "If it didn't, I wouldn't be using only my physical strength. I was only able to lift Riki up and throw him into the air to retrieve the orb for Rie and Ken's sake. Even if I wanted to use my other abilities right now, it would take a lot of damage from my body and…" She trailed off, gazing at the programmer sadly while still managing to smile. "Other than that, I can't use my magic to do much."

Takuto lowered his eyes. A guilty sensation flowed through his chest. "Why didn't you use the orb for yourself? You could have gained you powers back if you did."

Rina shook her head while looking down at her lap. "I couldn't think of doing something for myself because my family needed it. They have to secure the shrine with it so they can survive there. I have to do what I can to help them build a location to live peacefully in this world, Takuto. They're not as use to the area in Tokyo since they've just arrived here. Ikebukuro's also a dangerous place, and it's far worse than where we are. Since their powers are limited right now, they can't use most of their abilities to harm the people in the city. Ken and Rie are trying to hold up on their own with raw strength, but it won't always last long for them, and Ikebukuro's amount of hazards isn't allowing any of the orbs to appear, so they're being sent in Ginza. Takuji's also living in Roppongi at the moment but he's been getting busy with the work they give him at an editorial department. He doesn't have as much free time as any of us do and he's also got a girlfriend who's also a magician from Neon living with him."

Hiro tilted his head to his left. "Hey, does that also mean Sayuri's involved with helping out your comrades from Neon, Rina? She was also after the orbs and she got away with the other two. Is she using them for something right now?"

Rina glanced at Hiro and smiled. "She's probably in Roppongi by now giving them to Takuji and helping his girlfriend out. She's been getting weaker since they got here and her health has always been in pretty bad shape since she was born. She's also a member of the royal family."

"Wait," Riki said with a stern expression. "I believe Mitsuki told me this before, but isn't the surname of the royal family in your world Suzushiro?"

"Yes, that's correct," Rina confirmed. "The person Takuji is seeing is the middle child of the Suzushiro family and her name is Asuka. She's a teacher who helps out at some of the local schools in Roppongi and is known to be an elegant beauty. Her personality is sort of like a Yamato Nadeshiko, so you can think of her as one in a magical form."

"Elegant, young in appearance, and a princess all in one, huh," Atsumu mused. He was becoming interested in the girl Rina had described while having his right hand gently placed on the side of his face. "She seems to be someone from a fairytale, don't you think? Just my type of girl. A teacher, even. How marvelous. She must truly be a sight to see."

Kenshi had a perplexed expression as he looked at Atsumu. "Boss, you're still going on about the kind of girls you want to date? Are you already too old for that?"

"And switching between each and every one of them, too," Hiro narrowed his eyes in annoyance. He showed his irritated state shortly after. "Just how many are there whom you're into? You're a widow, so you don't need to make any comments about liking other girls."

Riki smirked. "Looks like Hiro's really pissed off tonight. I guess even our youngest member has to feel sexually frustrated about women sometimes."

"How gross can you be, you perverted old geezer?" Takuto questioned with aggravation.  
Atsumu waved both his hands in front of himself like they were a sword and shield. "Stop attacking me, guys!" he laughed fretfully and could feel himself becoming sweatier with each second that passed by. "I was only kidding about it!"

Rina sighed. "Why don't we just concentrate on our missions more? We still have several orbs to collect and send out, so try thinking more about our situation right now. There isn't enough magic to sustain the magicians residing in different cities here, you know."

Riki nodded. "Rina's right. It's also putting a lot of effort on her part to participate in them, which implies that we need to find the rest before something happens. We don't want the worse-case scenario, so let's call it a day and take a good rest until tomorrow."

"Then, I'll walk you home tonight," Takuto proclaimed. "Unless…" He had a devilish grin on his face. "…you want me to carry you there in my arms?"

Takuto's preposition made Rina blushed furiously. "W-What are you saying at a time like this, Takuto?! I can walk home by myself or teleport there without any problems!"

"You don't have to refuse, you know," he continued with the same expression. "We used to date, so it shouldn't be such a big deal to get carried home at night."

Rina's anger was flaring up. "No thanks! I don't need my ex-lover to do anything like that for me, so you can just leave it and go home by yourself."

"Ooh!" Hiro perked up. "Things are getting steamy in here!"

Riki started fanning himself with his hand. "Tell me about it. I can feel chili peppers coming from those two. Ugh… It's getting to hot in here."

Indeed. It was becoming uncomfortable to bear for the leader of the Black Foxes. Riki felt like his body was on fire, and Kenshi couldn't agree more.

"Whew!" Kenshi exhaled. "Maybe I should get the fire department to make a special case for Rina and Takuto. I can see too many sparks flying between them. It's getting too much to bear in here."

Atsumu took out a fan and waved it towards the lit-on pair. "I wonder if things will be okay." He was wearing his usual smile on his face and was getting into the situation. "I haven't seen this happen between them before, so maybe I should try grilling some food near Takkun and Rina."

"Don't," Riki panted. "The food you make will be burnt to crisps. Ah, geez! Will you knock it off, Takuto? You started the fire, so put it out."

Takuto's indifference returned when he heard Riki's complaints. "Fine." His shoulders dropped and he looked at Rina. "Suit yourself. Whether or not you decide to go home is fine with me."

Rina frowned irately and disappeared in an instant. She had landed inside her apartment and the flames from before died down. It felt cool again inside Le Renard Noir and everything returned back to normal.

"Wow, Takkun," Hiro said. "You really upset Rina. She was totally blazing just now!"

Riki started to catch his breath with some remaining pants. "Guess… something really happened while I was asleep a few days ago. Rina's never this angry and we all know it."

Kenshi sighed. "Yeah, I figured. Things weren't looking too good when she got so flustered. Everyone could tell something was going on." He glanced at Takuto and asked, "Takuto, did you do something to her a while back? Rina was pretty stoked there. It didn't seem like anything you two would normally say to each other."

Takuto frowned and averted his gaze towards the floor.

Atsumu put up with it and smiled lightly. "Takkun, be honest. If there's something going on between you and Rina, you should at least say what's on your mind. You know we're all here for you, don't you? We're all ears for anything you want to relay to us."

"That's right," Kenshi agreed. "We're partners in crime, Takuto! A member of the Black Foxes is still part of the same team as the other members. We all think of you as a nonpareil friend and there's no one who could ever beat you at your job. Each and every one of us has something the others can't completely fulfill when we're together or apart. Isn't that what makes us a band of thieves at night, while having our own careers to do during the day?"

Riki grinned. "I hate to admit it, but Kenshi does deserve some credit for saying something commendable as that. It makes me want to knock him out myself."

Kenshi's shock got to him once more. "What? You'd hit me right here and now, Riki? I can't believe you would consider doing something like that when we're all together."

"I'm playing around, you idiot," Riki replied with his usual sedate expression implanted on his face. He placed his left hand on his waist and hip. "But are trying to suggest that I should put a punch on the side of your face when we're alone together? Man, you can be pretty sickening sometimes, Kenshi."

Hiro laughed. "Haha! Picking on Kenny is actually fun when you think about it. It makes all the serious stuff go away."

"So, are we lumping him in with Beady over there?" Takuto asked. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but Kenshi's on a whole different level than an old barf who's got no sense of commitment to anything or anyone."

Atsumu's eyes popped opened a bit further. "Hey! I've always been committed to Shinobu and the bar this whole time. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here right now, would I?"

"Not like you've shown your worth," Takuto bluntly countered. "Riki's got better commitment than you. Just look how happy he is in love and work."

Riki smiled contently with closed eyes. "What can I say? I try to make everything a success, so I guess it really _does_ work out in the end for me."

"Not like I was complimenting you or anything," Takuto retorted dully. "I was just stating the facts."

Riki glowered. "Tch. Should've known you were the one to ruin things whenever you wanted to break the ice, Takuto. But, anyway. It's about time you tell us what happened between you and Rina. Why is she like this now? She's usually so jovial and calm around everyone."

Takuto looked at Riki with an apathetic expression on his face. "Riki, do I really have to? I don't really have the energy to talk about it."

"Yes, you do," Riki answered in a composed manner. "And it's not that you don't have the _will_ to speak about it; it's because of your personality, Takuto. You refuse to talk about Rina much, and it kills the living hell out of us. Don't you think it'd be a good thing to rely on us every time something bothers you to the point where it gnaws at your shoulder or the back of your mind?"

Takuto looked down at the floor and stared at it. "It's not as easy as you think it is. There's still too much to apologize for and I haven't done anything to convey that feeling yet."

Hiro's eyes lowered with sorrow when he saw how much Takuto was suffering. It was as though a knife went straight through his heart. "Takkun…"

_When I think about it, he did have a hard time deciding on whether or not he had to hurt others, especially Rina, _Hiro thought. _But it's even more painful just to see his heart aching again. It really wounds a person who knows how he feels about everything._

Kenshi lowered his head. "I bet it really makes you feel guilty, doesn't it? But there's still something we need to know, Takuto."

Atsumu smiled helplessly at the group of men. "But I can think of a certain day in particular." His expression became serious as he looked at Takuto. "Takkun. It was right after you went after Rina, wasn't it? I could sense you two had something connecting your bond with each other due to the amount of time you were gone. I'm positive you must have done something that affected Rina in a few ways. While you all weren't here, she kept getting lost in thought for several minutes. Luckily, she didn't get off track before a customer showed up, so it was only before we opened the bar. It was just as if something in her system was full of bugs."

Riki grimaced at that last sentence. "Boss, she's not a robot or computer. She's a living girl who has extraordinary qualities."

"I know what I'm talking about," Atsumu responded casually. "Still, Rina wasn't like her usual self. I wanted to ask her about it, but I figured it was best not to. There seemed to be a lot on her mind, so I left her alone to think for herself. I know you might not appreciate the thought of any of us meddling into your affairs, Takkun, but it could help mend things between you two."

Takuto nodded. "I know, but… Is it really alright to discuss about this? I'll only cause trouble for you and everyone else."

"Of course it is!" Atsumu exclaimed with a broad grin. "You can always count on us, so don't hold back now! How long do you think we've known each other, anyway?" He relaxed a little. "If you say that we don't understand you at all, then you're wrong. We're basically family, remember?"

Hiro's face brightened when he heard the word 'family'. "That's right, Takkun! We're like brothers, so you don't have to take in all the pain for yourself to handle. We're always with you no matter what!"

"Don't forget the good and bad times now, Takuto!" Kenshi smiled energetically. "We've gone through plenty of difficult times together, haven't we? There's no _way_ we could abandon anyone in our team!"

"You really think we'd leave you alone?" Riki inquired with a sneaky grin. "C'mon, man! We're always together even when we're apart. Don't you feel the same way, Takuto?"

The other fours' words made Takuto realize how close they truly were to one another. "You guys…" He smiled back at them and allowed himself to speak the truth, which was a rarity not many knew about. The next thing he knew, he was looking back to what occurred not too long ago with unsettling emotions. "To be more precise, after we walked to Rina's apartment, I…"

_Rina gazed into Takuto's eyes when she found out (unintentionally) about Takuto's feelings. "Takuto, do you still love me?"_

_ Takuto was unable to meet his past lover's gaze, so he averted his eyes from Rina's. A whirlpool of emotions overflowed within his body, and his appearance was resolute. "Yeah, I'm still in love with you, RIna. I've never stopped loving you, even after we broke up."_

I still love you, but I could never say that before, _Takuto thought. _It always hurt to see your sad expression, but I had my reasons for breaking up with you.

_Several feelings from the last few years were sending themselves into Rina's heart as she looked at Takuto with sad and uncertain eyes. "Takuto, I—"_

_ She was soon cut off with a soft, warm sensation on her lips, which came from Takuto's, and her overwhelming emotions became one big surprise when she realized what was happening. Takuto had kissed her—something he had not done since the day they broke up—and that hit her pretty hard. Once he pulled away, she looking down at the floor of her apartment and ground with disorientation._

_ "About that kiss just now…" she brought up. She was very flustered at that instant and could not look at Takuto at all. "I… Um…"_

_ Takuto only nodded and said, "Those are my true feelings. Whether or not you believe me depends on what you decide in the end. Anyway, I'll take my leave, so you don't have to get me anything. I'll be at the bar to get Beardface to reheat my pork noodles." He held up his right hand in a wave and turned around, making his way towards Le Renard Noir. "Well, bye. I'll see you later."_

Hiro's eyes widened in shock and surprise at Takuto's confession of the night that took place a few days ago. "You kissed Rina?!" It was still novel to him and the others what they had heard from Takuto's mouth.

"Takuto, you—" Riki started to say before stopping himself. He let out a sigh and understood the situation. "I see. So that's what pulled her trigger."

Takuto gave a light nod with his head. "Yeah. It's not like I meant to set her off, but it just happened. I couldn't help myself from kissing her, so I guess it must have come off as a huge shock to her when I did it."

"Of course it did," Hiro frowned. "Anyone would be surprised when someone they used to be with just kisses them out of nowhere, and without any warning, too. I can certainly tell you that it only makes a person more self-conscious when someone decides to plant a sucker on their lips." He exhaled in a sigh. "I think Rina's been going through too much because of it. She's probably trying as hard as she can to concentrate on everything, including our missions."

Kenshi placed his left hand on the back of his head. "I feel bad for Rina, but there's just too much to think about right now." He had an unyielding look on his face while observing the others. "We have to help out the other magicians who are here on Earth. They're not going to last long without the help of those orbs, and we're slipping away from our duties as members of the Black Foxes. Didn't we learn anything at all tonight? If we don't get the orbs and send them over to Ikebukuro, they won't be able to live there without any conflict between themselves and the natives. We have to do this, or we'll no longer be able to carry out another mission for the rest of our lives."

"Kenshi's right," Riki declared. "We have to do something for their sakes, as well as Rina's. I'm sure we all know this by now, but she's also getting weaker by the day. Let's do what we can to aid Rina and all the magicians living in this world."

Atsumu nodded firmly. "Right. We can't let them die out. The magic orbs are able to provide a means for their survival and we owe Rina a debt we can't repay. I'll see if I can locate them so we can take on a mission tomorrow night."

"I'll ask Seiko if she's seen or heard anything about them," Hiro offered. "There _has_ to be something about it before then."

"I'll check out if anyone from work is into them," Takuto announced nonchalantly. "I'm sure a few of them might have some valuable information on this. If not, we'll just meet here and hurry to a location."

Kenshi glance down. "Maybe the orbs won't appear in front of anyone. They could be in a hidden place like the cave we were at a few hours ago."

"So they could be at the top of a mountain?" Hiro asked. "But we won't be able to run all the way there on foot!"

"We could use Rina's teleportation to get to faraway areas if necessary," Riki suggested. "As long as she's not carrying any one of us, we'll be fine. For now, we should get to bed. It's already pretty late, so we're practically wearing out our bodies."

Atsumu yawned. "Perfect timing. I was just feeling sleepy, so I'm turning myself in to my room."

Kenshi nodded tiredly. "I'm getting exhausted myself." He stood up from his seat and gave a wave with his hand. "Good night, guys. See you all tomorrow."

It was a matter of minutes before the entire group went to sleep for the night. Taking a place to stay in the bar, they permitted themselves to lay down on a bed and finally had some shut-eye.

XXX

The next night, the Black Foxes were gathered inside of Le Renard Noir. An explanation was about to be told by none other than Rina herself.

"I can't believe this," Rina breathed in exasperation. "To think an enormous amount of orbs suddenly appeared throughout the whole area." She took a sigh. "I guess the survival of the magicians depends on them now that it's come to this. By the way, I believe I have enough energy to teleport us to the mountain. Just take a sprint towards the door and let's hurry!"

Everyone nodded and followed Rina's instruction, preparing to run over to the entrance. Atsumu, however, was staying behind as usual. Once the other five began to dash, they were immediately teleported to the mountain summit they were supposed to arrive at. The members of the Black Foxes were on what appeared to be a battlefield, and the trembling sensation they felt added to it. They steadily walked further, just several feet away from being near the edge of the cliff.

"Is it just me, or does it feel like we're on the death grounds of countless soldiers from decades ago?" Hiro asked, shaking at the thought of someone—perhaps an army or group of men—passing away right at the spot they were standing on.

Riki shook his head. "No, I don't think it's only you, Hiro. But something feels out of place about this location. It's as if we're going to encounter someone soon."

"Uh, Riki," Kenshi put forth, "I don't want to burst your bubble, but I think it'd be better if you didn't say something to jinx us. We've already had enough failures now, so we don't want to have any more."

"Sorry," Riki apologized. "The air gives it that kind of feeling. It's not like I can really help it, either, Kenshi."

Takuto scanned the area. "My laptop's telling me the orbs should be around here, but I don't see them anywhere."

"I can sense them and their presence is getting stronger the farther we go," Rina informed. "Maybe we should walk a bit more."

Hiro frowned once more. "You mean, go to the edge of the cliff? Are you sure about this, Rina?"

Rina's shoulders dropped and her face clouded over with an indefinite expression. "Not entirely. I don't really know if we'll see something there, but it's worth a try."

"Hopefully we'll be able to find something," Riki remarked. "Black Foxes, let's go. It's show time."

They all agreed and made their way towards the inner surroundings of the pinnacle. Hiro was anxious about it, but continued with the others who were by his side.

"Well?" Riki asked. "Find anything down there?"

"No," Kenshi voiced his disdain. He had searched where he was standing and even looked down, but did not see any of the orbs. Only the sea and eroding rocks were visible. "There's not much over on my side. What about you?"

Riki gave another shake of his head. "No, not here, either. Why aren't they here? I thought the orbs were supposed to be somewhere on the mountain, but is the signal off?"

"There's definitely an indication from this point," Takuto affirmed after taking another look at his laptop. "It's pretty high, so there's no doubt about it."

Hiro also stood in place. "I have a bad feeling about this. There's no telling where the orbs are, so maybe we need to inspect the mountain some more."

"There's a vast pull coming from here," Rina mentioned. "It's like I'm being taken down."

Hiro tilted his head to his right. "I don't feel anything, though."

"Oh, but you will," a female voice said from behind.

The Black Foxes turned to see who it was, and as they alleged, Sayuri was right there in the air with her extravagant wings, floating in front of them from a distance.

"Sayuri!" Hiro shouted with surprise displaying in his eyes.

Riki placed his left hand on his hip again. "So, it's you. Why are you here? Did you already take the orbs?"

"Who can say?" Sayuri questioned in a deliberate, toying manner. "All I can really articulate to you is that you're not wrong about them being in this place. However, you're not going to be able to find them if you just dilly-dally around all night."

Hear those words made Riki smirk. "Well, aren't _you_ a mysterious lady? You know, you could be a great addition to our team. What do you say?"

A look of fury overcame Sayuri's sophisticated expression in a matter of second and all hell broke loose. "Me? On the side of the renowned Black Foxes?! Who the heck do you think you're speaking to?! I'm a magician who's on the side of the law, not a troublemaking criminal like you! As if I would ever wish to join you band of thieves!"

Sayuri's wrath was enough to blow the guys away, as she utilized her wings to create giant gusts of wind towards the men standing in front, not counting Rina as a thief. Riki and the others were about to be blown away by the time Sayuri flew off and were struggling to keep their feet on the ground.

"Ugh!" Riki yelled. He, Kenshi, Hiro, and Takuto weren't going to be able to stay on land for long, and it was only getting worse on them.

At that moment, Rina started to glow with a blue light. "Riki! Everyone!"

A bizarre power was preventing the Black Fox members from nearing their falling deaths and held them back from the cliff's brink. It was as though a miraculous force was upon them. Just as they were being saved, Rina's body gradually slipped toward the cliff and her eyes began to close. Soon, she reached the border, and started to fall down into the sea.

Takuto, Hiro, Riki, and Kenshi's eyes widened as they saw Rina's unconscious body dropping.

"Rina!" Takuto shouted. He felt his heart sink as he and the others witnessed the scene, and a feeling of terror and trepidation quickly asphyxiated his entire body.


End file.
